“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.

“ASAN Service” Hosts the “DIGIAGE BAKU 2025” Digital Game Camp

From December 5–7, 2025, the “DIGIAGE Baku 2025” digital game camp was organized as part of the collaboration between the Innovation Center of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and DIGIAGE.

The camp aimed to enable talented youth to create games and present their projects with the guidance of professional mentors. It also sought to help participants gain experience for entering the global market and foster new startup initiatives. Throughout the process, participants developed teamwork, project presentation, and marketing skills, strengthened their creative approaches, and prepared new game concepts. They also received valuable advice from industry experts on networking and career development.

In total, 238 applicants participated in the camp, including 28 teams and 134 individual applications. From these, 100 selected participants received two separate trainings over two weeks on data-driven game marketing and publishing processes.

During the three-day camp, participants who passed the selection stages took part individually or in teams. They learned about modern tools used in game development, different stages of game creation, and career opportunities in the sector. Representatives from well-known companies and game designers shared motivational experiences and insights.

Throughout the camp, Vüsal Rüstəmov, Director of the Innovation Center, and Erkam Tüzgen, CEO of Bilişim Vadisi, monitored team activities and met with participants.

At the conclusion, 19 teams presented their games to the jury. The teams “Untitle Game Studio,” “Neecro Projects,” and “Voyagers” ranked in the top three, while “Rital Interactive” received a special encouragement award from the jury. Investment meetings and mentorship support will continue for the winning teams, and all teams will continue to receive mentorship support from DIGIAGE.

Since 2023, over 500 applications have been received for the camps, with more than 300 participants qualifying to compete. More than 60 teams have participated in total, with many attracting investment and mentorship opportunities.

The camp has been implemented since 2023 within the framework of a cooperation protocol between the Innovation Center and Bilişim Vadisi Baku, aiming to develop technological skills, organize trainings, and support the implementation of innovative solutions in the country. Joint projects based on hackathon and bootcamp models are also a priority.

Sponsors: PASHA Holding
Partner: Code Academy
Media Partner: ASAN Radio & TV

“DIGIAGE – Baku 2025” Digital Game Camp Continues! 

On the second day of the camp, participants took part in various trainings, gaining theoretical knowledge and already starting to code their own games. 

Young people interested in the digital gaming industry are working in teams, developing their projects with the support of mentors.

“DIGIAGE – Baku 2025” Digital Game Camp Kicks Off! 

The camp, organized jointly by the Innovation Center and Bilişim Vadisi DIGIAGE, has officially started. Out of 238 applicants, 100 selected participants will work in teams to create their own digital games.

We wish all participants great success! 

Meeting on “Special Regulatory Regime” for Fintech Startups Held

A meeting on the “Special Regulatory Regime,” which is of significant importance for the fintech ecosystem, was successfully held with the joint organization of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center.

During the presentation, detailed information was provided on the purpose of the special regulatory regime, evaluation criteria for applications, and the pilot process, followed by extensive discussions in this direction. The session was both informative and practically useful for startups operating in the fintech sector.

Speakers:
• Sahib Hasanov– Head of Department, Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan
• Vagif Guliyev– Senior Specialist, Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan

The meeting included extensive discussions on existing opportunities for the fintech ecosystem, regulatory requirements, innovation regulation, and future cooperation prospects. A Q&A session was also organized for participants, during which current issues in the field were explained in detail.

Within the framework of the “Startup, Innovation and Support” program, a project of the “OBA” supermarket chain, the Innovation Solutions Marathon has been launched.

The opening event of the marathon’s first week took place in the building of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center with its support. The event brought together participating teams, mentors, and project managers.

First, the program’s roadmap was presented, followed by “SpeedDate” format meetings with mentors.

Continuing the event, the head of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center, Nicat Amiraslanov, conducted the program’s first training session on the topic “Idea Generation, Innovation, and Creativity.”

INNOLAND Center of “ASAN Service” at Web Summit 2025

On 10–13 November 2025, at “Web Summit 2025” held in Lisbon, Portugal, the resident startups of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center “Tada!” and “Enverson” represented our country.

During the event, the Director of the Innovation Center, Vusal Rustamov, informed participants about INNOLAND’s activities, its contributions to the ecosystem, and the projects of its resident startups.

The opening ceremony of the SID project, implemented under the slogan “Your idea is supported” with the support of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center, has been held.

The SID project not only promotes the development of creative initiatives but also contributes to optimizing operations at OBA, implementing innovative solutions, and overall diversifying Azerbaijan’s startup ecosystem.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior representatives of Veysəloğlu Group of Companies and the Director of the Innovation Center under the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Vusal Rustamov.

Speaking about the project, Vusal Rustamov stated that the Innovation Center is ready to share its resources in order to create an effective incubation environment for the 33 selected startups. He emphasized that this cooperation is a bright example of public-private partnership and highly appreciated OBA’s initiative.

It should be noted that a total of 183 teams applied for the project, and 33 of the most promising teams were selected for the next stage.

Within the framework of the project, a total prize fund of 10,000 AZN has been allocated.

At the invitation of the INNOLAND Incubation and Acceleration Center, an online meeting was held with one of the region’s most renowned entrepreneurs, Nevzat Aydın, founder and former CEO of Yemeksepeti.com.

During the meeting, INNOLAND residents — the startups Tada! and Enverson — presented their projects. The discussions focused on evaluating cooperation and investment opportunities, and it is planned to continue the collaboration in the next stage.