Building with Akinda

Akinda Pitched on Taqdimot, Uzbekistan's Shark Tank Alternative, and Two Investors Backed It

Aug 10, 2026
Akinda
4 min read

Taqdimot is Uzbekistan’s answer to Shark Tank: a startup pitch show on Zo'r TV where founders present their companies to a panel of investors. Akinda took the stage to present its mission, the problem it was built to solve, and its vision for making halal investing easier for Muslims around the world. Two investors on the panel agreed to invest in the company. Here’s what happened, and why a halal investing platform is being developed with a global market in mind.

Akinda, a halal investing platform, pitched on Taqdimot, the startup show broadcast on Uzbekistan's Zo'r TV and widely described as the country's Shark Tank alternative. Two investors on the panel agreed to invest after the pitch. Akinda screens listed stocks against AAOIFI Shari'ah Standard No. 21 across the US, UK and Canadian markets.

What is Taqdimot, Uzbekistan's Shark Tank alternative?
What happened when Akinda pitched on Taqdimot?
Why did the investors back a halal investing platform?
What is Akinda?
What comes next after the investment?
Frequently asked questions

What is Taqdimot, Uzbekistan's Shark Tank alternative?

Taqdimot is a startup pitch programme broadcast on Zo'r TV, one of Uzbekistan's most-watched private channels. Founders present their business on air to a panel of investors, answer questions on traction and economics, and can leave with a funding commitment. The format follows the same idea as Shark Tank and Dragons' Den, adapted for the Uzbek market.

The show sits inside a wider national push to surface local startups. AloqaBank launched a national startup competition under the Taqdimot O'zbekiston name together with AloqaVentures and Startup Garage, where selected teams work with mentors, prepare a pitch, and present to investors on Zo'r TV (reported by Pivot).

What happened when Akinda pitched on Taqdimot?

Akinda presented on Taqdimot to introduce our mission, the problem we are solving, and why we built the platform. We explained that Akinda was created to address gaps in financial knowledge and help people make more informed decisions with their money - instead of simply letting their savings lose value to inflation, they can invest in halal businesses and grow their wealth within Shariah-compliant boundaries.

During the pitch, the investors asked questions about the business, its market, and its potential. The discussion ultimately led to two investors agreeing to invest in Akinda.

What also caught the investors’ attention was Akinda’s global vision. The platform is not built only for the Uzbek market - it is designed to make halal investing more accessible to Muslims around the world.

As the investors explained, they decided to invest because Akinda can make halal investing easier not only for Uzbek Muslims, but for Muslims around the world.

Why did the investors back a halal investing platform?

Because the category is large, growing, and underserved by software. Global Islamic finance assets reached US$5.98 trillion in 2024, a 21% rise year on year, and are projected to hit US$9.7 trillion by 2029.

Those figures come from the ICD-LSEG Islamic Finance Development Report 2025, which assesses the industry across 140 countries. Islamic banking takes the largest share of those assets. Retail stock investing, the part where an individual chooses which shares to own, is still the least served.

The demand is also global rather than regional. A Muslim investor in Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Birmingham or New Jersey is looking at the same tickers and asking the same question. That was the case we made on air, and it is the part the panel responded to.

What is Akinda?

If you're discovering Akinda for the first time, here's what we do.

Akinda is a Shariah-compliant stock screening platform. You search a ticker and get a verdict on whether the stock is halal, not halal, or doubtful, along with the ratios behind that verdict. Screening follows AAOIFI Shari'ah Standard No. 21, the standard behind the major Islamic indices. Coverage today is the US, UK and Canadian markets.

Stock screening, with the underlying numbers shown rather than a bare yes or no.
Portfolio screening for what you already hold.
Dividend purification, calculated per holding.
Ready-made portfolios for investors who want a screened starting point.

If you want to see how a verdict is built, run a company you already know through the stock screener. More on the method sits in the how Shariah screening works.

What comes next after the investment?

The investment will help us take Akinda to the next stage of its growth and build Akinda 2.0 - a new and improved app designed to make halal investing smoother, faster, and more accessible for users around the world.

We’re using the investment to improve and expand the product, develop a more seamless app experience, launch broker integrations, strengthen our content and marketing efforts, and introduce many new features that will make Akinda more useful for everyday investors.

The goal is simple: build a better Akinda for a global Muslim investing community - with a platform that is easier to use, runs smoothly, and gives investors more tools to make informed, Shariah-compliant investment decisions.

Frequently asked questions

Is Taqdimot the Uzbek version of Shark Tank?

Taqdimot is Uzbekistan's alternative to Shark Tank rather than a licensed version of it. Founders pitch their startup live to a panel of investors on Zo'r TV, take questions on the business, and can leave with an investment commitment. The comparison is a fair one, and it is how most viewers describe the show.

Which markets does Akinda screen?

Akinda currently screens listed stocks in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Tickers outside those markets are not yet covered. Expanding coverage is one of the areas the new investment is directed at.

Is investing in stocks halal in Islam?

Buying shares is generally considered permissible, because a share is partial ownership of a real business rather than a loan earning interest. Permissibility depends on the company: its core business must be permissible, its interest-bearing debt and non-compliant income must stay within accepted thresholds, and any non-permissible income should be purified.

Where can I watch Akinda's Taqdimot episode?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcI9zSIMw8k

Sources

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only. It is not financial advice, and it is not a religious ruling. Automated Shariah screening is a tool, not a substitute for a qualified scholar, and interpretations differ between scholars and jurisdictions. Compliance verdicts reflect the data available at the time of screening and can change as company financials change.