By Trend To increase the competitiveness of Turkmenistan's economy, USAID supported a start-up ecosystem program, Stephen Guice, Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in Ashgabat told Trend . "The program worked with six local mentor companies that offer startup incubation and acceleration services. These mentor companies hosted a total of 122 entrepreneurs and helped develop their innovative business ideas and products. In addition, USAID created a platform that assists aspiring entrepreneurs in understanding startup entrepreneurship and to master skills through learning, practicing, and collaboration," said Guice. Also, to raise awareness about the importance of international standards and to train a pool of local experts, since 2017 USAID supported over 20 ISO training sessions and export promotion webinars for hundreds of representatives from local consulting companies and food producers in Turkmenistan.