The “Graduation Day” of the “StartUp School 2 – AI for Green Solidarity” project, organized by the “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal operated by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC), was held at the Azerbaijan Innovation Center.

The event was opened by Prof. Dr. Vusal Gasimli, Executive Director of CAERC, who emphasized the leading role that “Enterprise Azerbaijan” plays in the country’s startup ecosystem. Prof. Gasimli highlighted that the “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal has been successfully operating in various areas, including access to finance, skills development, legal support, infrastructure development, market accessibility, community building, and international cooperation. He wished the graduates of the largest startup school in the region continued success.

Mehmet Serkan Tosun, a professor at the University of Nevada, USA, and head of the Ozmen Entrepreneurship Center, which is the main partner of the “Startup School” project, spoke about the importance of the school, now in its second year, in fostering youth development and facilitating the exchange of international experiences.

Matanat Musayeva, head of the “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal, presented extensive information about the project. She explained that 121 teams from Azerbaijan and various countries had applied to the “Startup School 2” project. Among them, 41 teams were selected and participated in more than 60 hours of both online and offline classes. After two months of training, 10 teams advanced to the next stage, which focused on project presentation. Following a jury decision, the most successful teams from this group qualified for the final stage—the hackathon competition.

Nijat Mehdiyev, a research fellow at the German Artificial Intelligence Research Center and another key partner of the “StartUp School 2” project, spoke about the enthusiasm and skills demonstrated by the participants during the training sessions. He noted that these young individuals are the potential international project managers of the future.

At the event, the finalists of the “Startup School 2” project—members of the “AGROCHAT” team from Nakhchivan State University, the “ClearPath Shepherd” team from Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, and the “YellowGo” team from CZU Prague University, Czech Republic—presented their startups during the hackathon competition.

The winners were announced following the jury's decision, and an award ceremony was held. The “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal implements the “Startup School” projects in cooperation with the German Artificial Intelligence Research Center and the University of Nevada, USA. Additionally, Oxford University, Newcastle University, and OSTIM University of Technology, along with local institutions such as the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR), the Education Student Loan Fund under the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Agriculture (MFA), the MFA's Agrarian Innovation Center, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA), the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMEDA), the State Employment Agency (DMA), the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources (SARE), Sabah.HUB, and Tamiz Shahar OJSC, are supporting the development of the project as partners.