On August 20, 2025, the Baku Convention Center hosted the Grand Final of the “Innostart” project, which has also been held in the regions of Azerbaijan with the support of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) and the organization of SUP VC.
Among the 17 startups that advanced to the finals, “Backlify”, “SaleX”, “Specdeaf”, and “İmYen” were awarded a prize fund worth a total of 50,000 AZN.
The Grand Final event was attended by representatives of government bodies and private organizations, innovation experts, as well as startup founders. In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Samir Mammadov emphasized that the “Online Azerbaijan” project, implemented in recent years in the field of digital infrastructure development, has created a strong foundation for innovations. Chairman of IDDA, Farid Osmanov, in his address, highlighted the importance of startups for the country’s economy and spoke about the successes achieved within the “Innostart” framework.
As part of the project, a training and mentoring program was also implemented, through which 18 new mentors were prepared. In addition, cooperation was established with central executive authorities, local self-governance bodies, state and private institutions, NGOs, higher education institutions, and vocational training centers, and regional representations were formed.
The event continued with startup presentations and the awarding of certificates to graduates of the mentoring program. In conclusion, the winners of the “Innostart” project were announced.
“Innostart” is a project implemented to strengthen the startup ecosystem in the regions of Azerbaijan. Its aim is to support students, youth, and all those interested in this field to develop innovative ideas, provide knowledge about the startup ecosystem, assist them in turning their initiatives into successful startups, and encourage the formation of local communities.
