The Best Startup Project Semifinal took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing together innovative founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders from across the region. The event was held as part of the Digital Startup Awards (DSA) — a regional initiative aimed at identifying and supporting the most promising startups across Central Asia and beyond.

 

The program seeks to strengthen collaboration among innovation ecosystems, connect founders with investors, and create new opportunities for cross-border growth.

 

The Azerbaijani semifinal featured distinguished jury members and experts, including Dalerkhon Nodirov, Deputy Director of IT Park Ventures (Uzbekistan), Mubariz Shahbazli, Head of UNEC Startup Incubator (Azerbaijan), and Masud Alisoy, Investment Specialist representing Sabah Foundation (Azerbaijan).

 

Out of 350+ applications globally, 20 startups from Azerbaijan took the stage to pitch their innovative ideas — and two finalists, StarKidStories and Tryverse, have earned their spot in the Grand Final in Tashkent this December.

 

After a series of dynamic pitches and discussions, the jury selected two outstanding projects as the semifinal winners:

 

Tryverse — a 3D & Augmented Reality (AR) platform designed for e-commerce brands. It allows companies to create a single digital twin of each product that can be reused across product pages, ad campaigns, AR visualizations, and videos. The platform helps brands increase conversion rates, reduce product returns, and accelerate visual production while lowering costs. Tryverse focuses on categories such as furniture, footwear, eyewear, and premium goods, offering one-click integrations and a real-time analytics dashboard.

 

StarKidStories — a startup that creates personalized children’s books designed to make learning fun and engaging. Parents can choose from pre-made stories or create their own by adding personal details about their child, turning reading into a personalized and memorable experience.

 

Both winning teams will represent Azerbaijan at the Grand Finale of the Digital Startup Awards, which will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, later this year. The winners of the final competition will share a total prize fund of $100,000, helping them scale their innovations and enter new markets.

 

The Digital Startup Awards (DSA) continues to bring together the brightest founders from across the region — creating opportunities, connections, and momentum for the next generation of innovators.

 

The journey is far from over — stay tuned as we move closer to the Grand Final in Tashkent!

 

Organized under the Digital Startups Program and supported by IT Park Uzbekistan together with regional partners, the Digital Startup Awards continues to unite Central Asia’s most innovative founders, highlight success stories, and strengthen regional cooperation within the growing startup ecosystem.