The winning startups of the “Innostart” project, which drives the development of innovation in the regions, have been announced.
With the support of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) and organized by SUP VC, the “Innostart” Grand Final was held, marking the culmination of the program conducted across Azerbaijan’s regions. Among the 17 startups that reached the final stage, Backlify, SaleX, Specdeaf, and İmYen were awarded a total prize fund of 50,000 AZN.
The Grand Final brought together representatives of government agencies, private organizations, innovation experts, and startup founders. In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Samir Mammadov highlighted that projects like “Online Azerbaijan” have built a strong foundation for innovation over the past few years. He also emphasized the role of initiatives such as “Innostart”, “ecomX”, and “4ü1arada” in fostering regional innovation.
Chairman of IDDA Farid Osmanov stressed the importance of startups for the national economy and shared the achievements of Innostart. He noted that in 2024–25 the project expanded its reach to 4 regions and 20 cities and districts, organizing 32 awareness sessions, 8 hackathons, 8 incubation programs, and 4 regional Demo Days, engaging more than 2,000 participants.
As part of the initiative, a trainer and mentor development program was launched, resulting in the preparation of 18 new mentors. In addition, collaborations were established with central and local government institutions, private and non-governmental organizations, higher education institutions, and vocational training centers, while regional representations were also formed.
Further speeches were delivered by Samir Humbatov, First Deputy Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency, and Rashad Eyvazov, CEO of SUP VC. The event continued with a video presentation showcasing statistics and highlights of the project, startup pitches, and the certification of graduates from the mentor training program. The ceremony concluded with the announcement of the winning startups.
It should be noted that Innostart is designed to strengthen the startup ecosystem in Azerbaijan’s regions. Its mission is to help students, youth, and aspiring innovators develop their ideas, raise awareness of the startup ecosystem, support the transformation of ideas into successful startups, and encourage the formation of local innovation communities.
