“ASAN Service” at the “Take Off Istanbul 2025” Startup Summit

On December 10–11, 2025, a delegation from the Innovation Center of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan participated in the international “Take Off Istanbul 2025” startup summit held in Istanbul, Turkey.

At the event, where “ASAN Service” is a partner, Azerbaijan was represented with its national stand. The stand showcased the Innovation Center, ASAN AI Hub, resident startups of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center, as well as promising local startups representing the innovation ecosystem, including Enverson AI, Convitsa, Polygraf AI, Speakday, IOMETE, Qmeter, Tryverse, and StarKidStories.

During the two-day summit, the Azerbaijan stand was visited by Selcuk Bayraktar, Technical Director of Baykar, İrem Bayraktar Aksakal, Director of the Take Off Girişim Summit, as well as investors and other key participants of the innovation ecosystem. The startups’ activities were closely reviewed, and potential collaboration opportunities were discussed.

On the second day of the event, Vusal Rustamov, Director of the Innovation Center, spoke at a panel discussion on “Regional Startup Ecosystem: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Turkey” held within the framework of “Take Off Istanbul 2025.”

This year, the “Take Off Istanbul” summit brought together more than 500 startups from 40 countries, over 250 investors, 75 stakeholders, and 11 sponsoring organizations.

The summit is organized within the framework of TEKNOFEST, initiated by the T3 Foundation, the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey, and the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidential Administration. It functions as one of the region’s largest innovation and startup platforms, creating a favorable and barrier-free environment for innovation by bringing together entrepreneurs, mentors, venture capital representatives, and companies.

The “Modern Education and Innovation” panel discussion was held at the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University within the framework of the event organized in partnership between “INNOLAND” Incubation and Acceleration Center and the “ADPU Enactus” international program.

Before the panel discussion, Asaf Zamanov, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation at ADPU; Laman Ahmadova, Advisor to the Director of the Innovation Center; Nicat Amiraslanov, Head of INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center; and Zenfira Seyidova, Coordinator of the "ADPU ENACTUS" team, delivered speeches emphasizing the importance of implementing innovative approaches in education and the contribution of such events to the generation of new ideas.

The panel was moderated by Ziniddin Babayev, Deputy Head of the Project Management Department at the Innovation Center. Speakers included Ahmet Köse, Head of the "Bilim Azerbaijan" project; Khayala Fatullayeva, Head of the Digital Economy Department at the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; Isa Gasimov, Head of the "Enterprise Azerbaijan" portal; Aytan Guliyeva-Rzayeva, Senior Training Specialist at the ASAN Innovative Development Center; and Mail Yagub, Head of the "Sociology Academy".

During their speeches, the speakers shared their views and experiences on the importance of applying innovative methods, digital tools, and startup culture in education. The event attracted great interest from young teachers and students, who engaged in extensive discussions and addressed questions to the panelists.

At the end, participants were awarded certificates.

Final stage of the “45 Minutes Startup” Olympiad held at “INNOLAND”

The final stage of the “45 Minutes Startup” Olympiad, organized jointly by the “INNOLAND” Incubation and Acceleration Center and “Taskool” for 8th–11th grade students, has been successfully held.
The final took place within the framework of the “Startup School” program by “Taskool,” a resident of “INNOLAND.” In 2025, out of 147 applications submitted to the “Startup School” program, 110 participants started the training, and 58 successfully completed it, forming 13 teams across 7 main fields.
The program, aimed at developing entrepreneurship skills and financial literacy at a global level, engaged participants in working on real business ideas and presenting their startup projects. With the support of experienced mentors, the projects covered areas such as Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, GreenTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, Gaming, and E-commerce.
In the final stage, 13 teams captured the jury’s attention with their innovative ideas, creative approaches, and presentation skills. As a result, the startup projects of the “Speacdeaf,” “Tutor AI,” and “Mindmark” teams were highly evaluated and declared winners. All participants who successfully completed the program received certificates.
The “Startup School” program builds a strong foundation for Azerbaijan’s future startup leaders and promotes innovation culture across the country.