AI start-up Zehn has raised $300,000 in a pre-seed investment round after being introduced as part of the Area AI 1.0 at Dushanbe. The deal values the company at $15 million after it raises money.
The investment round saw participation from international and local investors such as FIFTYFIVE GROUP, Battery Road Digital Holdings, and Accelerate Prosperity. The support demonstrates the increasing confidence backers have in Zehn’s effort to develop advanced AI systems.
Zehn creates AI models that are learning to do well outside the box of the kind of data we have, in extreme situations that are extremely rare but especially dangerous. Its work involves language models and computer vision that use synthetic data to train systems for extreme weather, unusual environments and local language quirks.
The company’s technology is already in use in SoroLLM, Tajikistan’s national language model, helping imbue the model with better understanding of local language and cultural context. This concentration is what makes Zehn relevant not only for Central Asian region, but also for other markets where global AI solutions are unsatisfied.
Zehn has also been highlighted by multiple programs and awards at the international level. It was a top 15 finalist at Construct Start in Germany, joined the Misk Accelerator in Saudi Arabia and received Best AI Development at AICA 2025. The company is regulated by the DIFC and is a founding member of the Area AI Consortium, which aims to establish an AI-focused free zone in Tajikistan.
The new funding will fuel research and regional expansion as demand increases for AI systems that work with certainty in real-world scenarios, instead of average examples.
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