The “Demo Day” event, marking the final stage of the “Green and Digital Silk Road” international acceleration program, implemented within the framework of the “Startup School 3” project by the “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal under the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC), has been held at the Azerbaijan Innovation Center. The event served as an important platform for showcasing the country’s achievements in innovation, the startup ecosystem, and digital transformation.

The event began with a startup exhibition, featuring more than 30 startup teams from Azerbaijan and Turkey that reached the final stage of the acceleration program. The exhibited projects spanned diverse fields, including green energy, digital technologies, agricultural innovations, artificial intelligence, education, healthcare, tourism, chemical industry, and other sectors. The jury evaluated the projects and selected the most promising startups based on criteria such as innovation, applicability, team readiness, and commercialization potential.

During the official opening session, Professor Vusal Gasimli, Executive Director of CAERC; Bahar Muradova, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs; Farid Osmanov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency; and Javid Abdullayev, Director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy, delivered speeches highlighting the development of the innovation ecosystem and international collaboration in Azerbaijan.

Isa Gasimov, Head of the “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal, presented the objectives, stages, and outcomes of the acceleration program. The seven standout startups — “Agro Gemtin,” “Smart Bin,” “The Bioplastic,” “Green Guest,” “SoilCredit,” “Zeuph,” and “Science Delta” — also had the opportunity to present their projects in detail.

Professor Vusal Gasimli presented plaques of appreciation to the jury members. Additionally, Murat Baday, founder of Synapses Ventures and Stanford University professor, and Gonca Kara from A8 Acceleration Center, shared insights on the program’s contribution to the regional innovation ecosystem and offered advice to startup teams.

The winners of the program were announced at the conclusion of the event:

            •          1st place: “Agro Gemtin”

            •          2nd place: “Smart Bin” (Turkey)

            •          3rd place: “The Bioplastic”

Furthermore, Synapses Ventures awarded two teams with full scholarships to participate in high-level startup programs held in Silicon Valley.

It should be noted that the “Startup School” projects of the “Enterprise Azerbaijan” portal are implemented in partnership with the German Artificial Intelligence Research Center and the Nevada University Center for Entrepreneurship, USA, and involve collaboration with the Silk Road High Technology Parks Association (SRHPA).

The “Green and Digital Silk Road” international acceleration program received 140 applications from countries along the Ancient Silk Road and Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Hungary, Turkey, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China). Out of these, 126 startups participated in training and mentoring sessions throughout the program, receiving guidance from experts from the USA, South Korea, China, Malta, Germany, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.