On September 17-18, SABAH.city Innovation City hosted Baku ID 2026, one of the region’s leading innovation events.

Over two days, SABAH.city brought together local and international startups, investors, and representatives of the technology and innovation ecosystem. The festival featured panel discussions, talks, and startup presentations covering artificial intelligence, venture capital, fintech, healthtech, edtech, and other key areas.

The festival also hosted the Azerbaijan Regional Final of the international Startup World Cup. Following 160 applications from 20 countries, 10 startups competed in the final. 4sell.ai was named the winner and earned the right to participate in the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco.

The second day featured the NEXUS Awards, where 80 startups competed across 15 categories and the open voting process received more than 100,000 votes. A total of 12 startups were named winners, including Forg3t Protocol, Ayan Capital, Paypercut, Wellbees, Jusoor Labs, and Fuelin. MEVP was named “Venture Capital Fund of the Year,” while Sina Afra received the “Special Recognition Award.”

As part of the festival, SABAH.HUB, SABAH.fund, and AI Startup Factory also signed a memorandum aimed at supporting startup development and expanding investment cooperation.

The hosting of Baku ID 2026 at SABAH.city once again demonstrated the innovation city’s role as a regional hub bringing together startups, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders for collaboration and exchange.