Starting today, a three-day startup competition will be held at Baku universities within the framework of the project "I2B – From Idea to Business".
 
Startup teams of some 10 universities will present their projects to the jury in a startup marathon to be held at ADA university.
 
Students of Baku State University, Azerbaijan Technical University, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry, Baku Engineering University, ADA University, Medical University, West Caspian University and Baku Higher Oil School will take part in the competition.
 
The startup competition finals among universities will be organized on April 20. The jury will evaluate the projects of the competitors according to criteria such as uniqueness of idea, market potential, the period of return on investment, the time required to develop a preliminary service / prototype, the ability of the team to implement the idea.
 
The winning teams together with the winners from 12 regions will be given the right to participate in the summer camp Innocamp that will be held in late August.
 
Winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places will be determined in the National Final to be held in October.
 
The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the National Finals will be awarded by the organizers and partners, they will also be provided financial support to turn their ideas into business.
 
Finalists and winners of the first places in each region will get a chance to present their projects to investors and participants at the 25th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Telecommunications, Innovations and High Technologies Exhibition Bakutel 2019 to be held in December.
 
It is to be recalled that winners of startup tours held in Sabirabad, Sumgayit, Ganja, Goychay, Tovuz within the framework of the project "From Idea to Business" are already known. Startup tours are organized by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies jointly with Public Association Regional Development of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Azerbaijan Youth Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, companies Azercell and Microsoft.
 
To participate in the upcoming startup tours in Nakhchivan, Lankaran, Zagatala, Tovuz, Shemakhy and Shaki,  you must register on the website http://www.i2b.az.
 
It is to be noted that startups were held in 8 regions, 16 universities, 3 general educational institutions in the country last year within the framework of the project "From Idea to Business". Within 7 months, over 2 thousand people from various cities and regions of the country took part in the startup marathon. A total of 75 teams participated in the tours, 13 of which won the right to participate in the National Finals.
 
In the Finals, 3 startups became winners, 4 more projects were awarded by the partners of the project "From Idea to Business".