MINSK, Belarus—Belarus is run by a former collective-farm manager and is known for manufacturing tractors. Now, the former Soviet republic wants to be known as the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe.

The nation of 9.5 million people sandwiched between Russia and Poland has a well-educated population and relatively low labor costs. And it has become one of the largest and most established information technology outsourcing providers in Europe. In 2015 exports from Belarus’s main IT hub totaled $705.6 million.

Industry...