Startup tours start in Baku and regions under slogan “From Idea to Business”

With the view of increasing the competitiveness of the ICT sector and facilitating access to international markets, the Government of Azerbaijan provides support to this area. This support covers the improvement of the working environment, formation of an innovative infrastructure, creation of high technology parks and industrial clusters, as well as promotion of innovations.

In this context, the Azerbaijan’s startup ecosystem has been developed over recent years and projects that can enter the global market have been formed.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, Ministry of Education, High Technology Park, the State Fund for Development of Information Technologies, “Startup Azerbaijan”, “Youth Inc” and the Business Incubation Center will jointly organize startup tours in Baku and regions to expand the startup movement, support the business ideas of young people, encourage innovation and technologies and implement new innovative ideas. Startap tours will be organized under the slogan “From Idea to Business”. The first startup tour will be held at the Western Caspian University.

Startap tour consists of two stages - conference / training and startup contest. Within the framework of the programme of activities, panel discussions covering various topics will be held.

Potential partners are business trainers / mentors, NGOs, local companies operating in the field of high technologies, acceleration programs, higher education institutions, and government agencies in the regions.

Winning projects can be provided with mentoring services. Besides that, it is possible to attract investments for projects, as well as sending successful startups abroad, provide their participation in international events.

The startup tour mainly cover the regions, where in educational institutions the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies has created incubation centers – Baku, Lankaran, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Mingachevir, Sumgait, Sheki and Zagatala.

The presentations prepared by startuppers will be evaluated by experts and winners will be selected for each region.

The winners will get the right to take part in the final round of the startup tour, which will be held in Baku.

The projects selected for the final stage of the startap tour must prepare a presentation and a prototype / design before the final. Following the presentation of each startup project, the jury will ask the startups relevant questions and conduct the evaluation.