“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.

An info session visit to the "INNOLAND" Incubation and Acceleration Center was organized for the trainers of the "Power of the Morning" development program.

During the visit, participants received valuable information about the activities of the center, the startup ecosystem, the stages of turning ideas into business, and the operating principles of the innovation environment.

The info session was presented by the INNOLAND team.

“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