DISCOVER EUROPE
AZERBAIJAN -
Module B
Turn your ideas into successful
international businesses!
The Discover Europe – Azerbaijan B module programme guides Azerbaijani university students in how to develop their idea into an outstanding and prosperous startup. Beyond teaching the basic business skills, Discover Europe has a global focus and thereby drives the students to create a solution that has the potential to become an international success story. The programme provides multi-disciplinary insights on the important aspects of internationalisation and helps young people to create a flawless foreign market entry strategy. Learn, network, expand!
Application Deadline:
21.02.2022.
When? Where? How?
Sign up to Discover Europe
and find your answers!
DISCOVER EUROPE - AZERBAIJAN: BUILDING BRIDGES
BETWEEN THE AZERBAIJANI AND EUROPEAN MARKETS.
Programme details
DISCOVER EUROPE’ IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY AND FIRST ‘STEPPING-STONE’ FOR AZERBAIJANI STUDENTS THAT WANT TO LEARN HOW TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS AND SCALE IT INTERNATIONALLY.
PROGRAMME DURATION
8 weeks
PITCHING SESSION
1
WORKSHOPS
12
During the programme we will support you in:
1. Understanding the building blocks of the start-up journey
2. Learning how to evaluate ideas and validate startups
3. Progressing your ideas from a concept to MVP (minimum viable product) stage
4. Boosting your knowledge of the European market and how to scale internationally
5. Growing your network by meeting local support organisations, investors, businesses, fellow startups and mentors
6. Gaining valuable feedback from a European perspective to find the right product-market-fit
Who are we looking for?
1
University
students
2
Azerbaijani
citizens
3
Innovative projects
/ Startups with PoC
4
English
language skills
5
Excited to explore
the EU market
Application Deadline:
21.02.2021.
Meet our experts and mentors
Attila Khader Jehad
Viktória Nemes
Tamás Szekér
Tamás Tossenberger
Miriam Sufraga
Olívia Exton
GergÅ‘ Gulyás
Zsolt Kovács
Krisztián Kölkedi
Elchin Ismayilov
Ibrahim Ismayilov
Bernd Kleinheyer
Soma Pirityi
Istvan Turai
Bero Rusz
Ivett Angyal
Daniel Vitary
Andras P. Toth
John McKeown
Locations
Hungary — Budapest
LOCATION
Budapest, the capital of Hungary is located in the heart of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region.
WELL CONNECTED
Hungary is a key member of the Visegrád 4 countries alongside Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic enjoying special trade relations and access to a market with 64M people.
GREAT TAX AND BUSINESS INCENTIVES
Hungary has the lowest corporation tax - 9 % - in the European Union, and favourable conditions for seed funding and series A are available.
Germany — Berlin
LIVING STANDARDS
The costs of living remain well below the average in Berlin compared to other European capitals, while the quality of living is high.
OPEN SOCIETY
Networking is made easy at after-hours or local business events and people from all nations are being welcomed.
STRONG INDUSTRY
Germany is home to some of the greatest manufacturers that constantly seek inno-vation.
United Kingdom - London
DYNAMIC ECOSYSTEM
London has the biggest startup ecosystem in Europe, and the third biggest in the world. The city is home to more than 200 accelerators, 160 incubators and 8000+ coworking spaces.
ACCESS TO FUNDING AND INVESTMENT
Total VC funding was £2.49bn in 2018, by far the largest in the European region.
EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
The UK government actively encourages starting a business in the country by offering everything from financial support schemes, to entrepreneurship visas and support through numerous renowned organisations like Innovate UK.
LOCAL PARTNERS:
LOCAL PARTNERS:
LOCAL PARTNERS:
04
March
Officially starting the programme / 1st Workshop: What it means to be a startup
2022
09
March
2nd Workshop: The role of university incubation – advantages of starting early
2022
2022
11
March
3rd Workshop: Lean startup and business model canvas methodology
2022
17
March
4th Workshop: UX / UI, service and product design, product strategy
2022
18
March
5th Workshop: Team and time management
2022
25
March
6th Workshop: Market entry strategy
2022
28
March
7th Workshop: Stakeholder mapping methodology
2022
30
March
8th Workshop: Customer acquisition and sales
2022
04
April
9th Workshop: International validation – Introducing the Hungarian, German and UK ecosystems
2022
06
April
10th Workshop: Business and financial planning
2022
11
April
11th Workshop: Making a pitch deck and one-pager
2022
13
April
12th Workshop: Pitch preparation
2022
25
April
Internal Demo Day
2022
29
April
Demo Day
2022
23-25
May
Study tour to Hungary
Programme timeline
PERK AWARDS
Would you like to
experience the same?
Apply now and turn your idea into an international success story!
Azar Ismayilov
CEO at Insure.az,
​Discover Europe Azerbaijan participant – 2021
“Thanks to all who organised this program! It was an amazing chance to get informed and experience what it takes to enter a foreign market. Also, I got lots of experience on how to present my startup in front of potential partners and investors and due to that, I increased my presentation skills. I think now I know how to manage the next step of my international expansion.”
FAQ
Do I need an idea or an established business?
You need to have an idea that solves a local, regional, national or international problem, or one in a particular field or sector.
​
Who can participate in the programme?
Citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan that are actively enrolled in a university programme (Bachelor, Master or PhD) either in Azerbaijan or in other European countries.
​
Do I need to have a team?
We require teams to apply. Minimum 2 person per team.
Is there a competition between the participating teams?
Yes, only selected few of the participants will win the opportunity to go on the study tour to Budapest.
What is the selection criteria?
We will consider several factors. These include, but are not limited to
- you are a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
- you have an active student status (Bachelor, Master or PhD) at a university in Azerbaijan or at any other university in Europe,
- your commitment to progressing the idea and participating in the programme the stage of the idea or start-up.
​
A panel will consider the candidates. In 2022, you will have been notified of their decision by 21st of February 2022.
What is the time commitment?
- We strongly encourage everyone to attend all sessions. These are a minimum of two hours per week.
- You'll also work on your ideas or businesses between sessions, but the time commitment for this varies for each individual and team.
- We plan to record the sessions and share them with everyone, provided there are no technical difficulties. If you can't join a particular session, we'll give you the session material.
- Please note that if you fail to attend more than two workshops we will not be able to consider you as one of the potential winners of the study tour to Budapest.
What do I need to join?
All sessions are taking place online, so you only need access to the internet and a computer.
Do I need to submit anything at the end of the programme?
You'll develop a pitch deck that needs to be delivered on the Internal Demo Day and Demo Day, at the end of the programme.
​
What to do if I have more questions?
Email olivia.exton@startupcampuslondon.co.uk with questions or any urgent queries.
​
What kind of benefits do particpants get beyond the workshops?
Teams will get access to perks inlcuding credits, discounts and tickets to large startup events. Also, the top 4 teams (1 person / team) will win a study tour to Budapest where they can meet with local investors and other important stakeholders.
​
​
Contact
Olivia Exton – Programme Manager
Startup Campus London
olivia.exton@startupcampuslondon.co.uk
+44 (0) 7534996613
Programme sponsor
Programme organisers
bp
bp is one of the world's most renowned energy suppliers, and is dedicated to safely developing and producing essential sources of energy and delivering energy solutions for people.
​
​In Azerbaijan, bp has been present for about three decades safely and reliably operating five major energy projects. It is the leading operator in Azerbaijan’s energy industry and the South Caspian region. To date, bp has invested together with its partners around $80 billion into projects in the country and has had a positive impact on local communities through generating tens of thousands of jobs and through its extensive social investment activities. bp directly employs around 2,400 Azerbaijani citizens.
STARTUP CAMPUS
Startup Campus is an international incubator that offers programmes for innovative businesses from the idea phase to the market entry. With a native team and a globally extensive partner network, we provide local representation, marketing, PR advisory, management and sales services in several major European cities.
TURAN TRADE
Turan Trade is a project company established by the initiative of international partners to boost business cooperation and trade within Turan historic region expanding through Hungary, Turkey, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia. Turan Trade aims to bring together capabilities and networks of its resource and capacity-providing organizations to enhance business opportunities and trade in the region.
Special partner
INNOVATION AGENCY AZERBAIJAN
The Innovation Agency of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan İnnovasiyalar Agentliyi) is a government organization, which had been established for the purpose of assisting local business entities in acquiring modern technologies and technological solutions, organising their transfer, supporting innovation-oriented scientific research and encouraging innovative projects, including startups by funding them through grants, concessional loans and venture capital fund.
International partner
INNOHUB EUROPE
Energy Innovations Hub is a cross-regional initiative to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and education in the field of sustainable energy across countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus, Central Asia and in the GCC countries by building on European networks and global knowhow. Our key aim is to empower network of European and regional partners by bringing together innovations, industry, universities, entrepreneurs and businesses to deliver competitive market solutions.
HEPA
The Hungarian Export Promotion Agency aims to provide high quality services in order to support the further export success of Hungarian enterprises and improve the country’s international image. By supporting the Discover Europe - Azerbaijan programme, HEPA aims at helping startups and innovative SMEs from the Turkic region to explore EU market and highlight Hungary’s great potential as a springboard to the region, whilst also preparing Hungarian startups in a strategic partnership to enter Turkic markets.
Contact
Olivia Exton – Programme Manager
Startup Campus London
olivia.exton@startupcampuslondon.co.uk
+44 (0) 7534996613
Elchin Ismayilov - Project Coordinator
Turan Trade LLC
info@turantrade.az
+99412 310 14 00 (115)