{"id":203476,"date":"2025-05-24T22:40:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T18:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forbes.ge\/?p=203476"},"modified":"2025-06-18T12:16:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:16:52","slug":"founders-without-borders-the-region-s-tech-ecosystem-finds-its-voice-in-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.forbes.ge\/en\/founders-without-borders-the-region-s-tech-ecosystem-finds-its-voice-in-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"Founders Without Borders: The Region\u2019s Tech Ecosystem Finds Its Voice in Berlin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Berlin \u2014 a city synonymous with reinvention \u2014 recently played host to a uniquely regional experiment that married high-level policy insight with unfiltered founder perspective. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of 8000 Vintages, a Georgian wine sanctuary in the heart of Kreuzberg, the \u201cTech Without Borders\u201d evening gathered stakeholders from five nations across the Caucasus and Central Asia to spark a conversation larger than any one country.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event was co-anchored by Shota Dighmelashvili, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Georgia, and Nodo Ivanidze, co-founder of <\/span>Global Tech Weekend<\/span><\/a>. As part of the broader <\/span>GITEX Europe<\/span><\/a> constellation, the evening featured two back-to-back panels \u2014 one institutional, one entrepreneurial \u2014 that together mapped a tech region in motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

See also: 2025 Forbes Georgia Banking Conference<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Institutions on the Move<\/b><\/h5>\n

Moderated by Nodo Ivanidze, the opening panel brought together senior figures from <\/span>Kazakhstan\u2019s Astana Hub<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Armenia\u2019s Microsoft Innovation Center<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Uzbekistan\u2019s IT Park<\/span><\/a> Europe office, and <\/span>Azerbaijan\u2019s Innovation and Digital Development Agency<\/span><\/a> \u2014 brought together, along with Georgia, to explore digital infrastructure, funding mechanisms, cross-border collaboration, and the limits of centralized innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Armenia\u2019s Marie Barseghyan offered insights into bridging public-private dynamics in a rapidly digitising landscape. Kazakhstan\u2019s Magzhan Madiyev outlined how the country\u2019s tech zones are evolving into venture pipelines. Vsevolod Li from shared Uzbekistan\u2019s approach to diaspora capital and legal innovation, while Azerbaijan\u2019s Salar Imamaliyev called for synchronised digital policies across the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

The speakers didn\u2019t shy away from the challenges: divergent regulatory standards, fragmented legal environments, and politicised innovation priorities. Yet, in conversations, a deeper truth emerged \u2014 the region\u2019s shared constraints may well be its connective tissue. What once divided is now shaping the contours of practical cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n

That ethos\u2014of turning fragmentation into force\u2014was captured by Nodo Ivanidze, who helped shape and steer the evening\u2019s agenda. As he noted, Global Tech Weekend isn\u2019t just about convening the region\u2019s brightest minds, but anchoring them within a wider orbit:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a commitment to unlocking our shared potential by connecting local ecosystems into a global rhythm,\u201d he said. \u201cTogether with our partners in the USA and Saudi Arabia, our mission is to link the Caucasus and Central Asia with similar crossroads worldwide.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His goal is to create a network where founders can grow globally without needing to leave their roots behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Founders Without Borders<\/b><\/h5>\n

If the first panel laid the policy scaffolding, the second, moderated by the Editor in Chief of Forbes Georgia Shota Dighmelashvili, was all about the builders. These were the startup founders navigating real-world frictions: deploying AI tools in analogue economies, scaling B2B platforms across fragmented markets, and convincing risk-averse users to trust innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the featured founders:<\/span><\/p>\n