INMerge Berlin Concludes International Event Series Ahead of Baku Summit
INMerge Berlin, held as an official side event of GITEX Europe, was the final stop before the flagship INMerge Innovation Summit in Baku in November. The event featured panel discussions, a fireside chat, and a startup pitch competition.
INMerge Berlin, organized in partnership with Plug and Play as an official side event of GITEX Europe, concluded the 2026 international event series leading up to the main INMerge Innovation Summit in Baku this November. The event gathered innovation ecosystem actors from Europe, Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and beyond.
The day’s agenda began with remarks by H.E. Nasimi Aghayev, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Germany, followed by a keynote from Martin Gutmann titled “Are We Celebrating the Wrong Leaders?”. A panel discussion titled “Trust Corridors: Rebuilding Financial Bridges Between Europe and Emerging Markets” featured Ekaterina Galitsyna (KfW IPEX-Bank), Bahruz Naghiyev (PASHA Bank Azerbaijan), and Zuzana Franz (ODDO BHF), moderated by Rza Aliyev (NGIC).
Another panel, “From Berlin Labs to Emerging Market Scale: AI, Big Tech and the Next Innovation Bridge”, brought together speakers from Caucasus Ventures, PASHA Financial Holding, SAP, and Microsoft Germany. A fireside chat titled “Beyond Efficiency: Wellbeing, Culture and the Future of Work” featured Ad Boon (PASHA Holding) and Martin Gutmann (Lucerne School of Business), moderated by Maria Ivanova (Gingo Partners).
The event concluded with a Startup Pitch Competition judged by leading investors. Startup Sintro won a fully funded package to attend the main summit in Baku, while two other startups, Datfid and Lan fly, received partial funding support. The main INMerge Innovation Summit will take place in Baku on 30 November – 1 December 2026.
