{"id":206357,"date":"2025-07-22T13:54:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forbes.ge\/btu-is-demo-dghe-gaitsanith-qarthuli-startapebi-romlebits-ai-is-momavals-qmnian\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T13:56:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T09:56:23","slug":"meet-the-georgian-startups-shaping-the-future-of-ai-at-btu-s-demo-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.forbes.ge\/en\/meet-the-georgian-startups-shaping-the-future-of-ai-at-btu-s-demo-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Georgian Startups Shaping the Future of AI at BTU\u2019s Demo Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, as the world\u2019s top innovation hubs connect the dots to make artificial intelligence mainstream, Georgia\u2019s Business and Technology University (BTU) is carving out its own unique space. Through its partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology\u2019s Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship and the Orbit platform, BTU\u2019s AI Pre-Acceleration Program has become much more than just an educational initiative, it\u2019s a transformative experience that bridges Georgia\u2019s rising stars to the global AI community.<\/p>\n

The program featured AI-based Georgian startups, which had the opportunity to work with both local and international trainers and experts. At the final stage of the program, the startups presented their innovative products and services to a wide audience.<\/p>\n

The partnership between BTU and MIT is not only impressive but also a bold statement, and it is highly significant in terms of openly integrating the Georgian ecosystem into global processes. Within the six-week pre-acceleration program implemented by BTU\u2019s Entrepreneurship Center, participating startups deepened their knowledge and worked on refining the skills necessary for building and growing an innovative startup. Moreover, the program fostered the development of their entrepreneurial mindset, helping startups confidently tackle challenges present in the market. As mentioned, another distinctive highlight of the program was its strong international connections \u2014 most notably, access to MIT\u2019s new platform – Orbit, at the Martin Trust Center, which offers participants unique opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, we\u2019re committed to advancing entrepreneurship education worldwide. We\u2019re glad that platforms like Orbit and our AI Jetpacks can help empower students and startups across diverse ecosystems, including Georgia. It\u2019s inspiring to see how entrepreneurial leaders are adapting these tools to support innovation in their local contexts.<\/em>\u201d- Doug Williams<\/a>, Orbit Product Lead, MIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The heart of the program is its mentors. Selected from Georgia\u2019s own successful startup community, mentors like Tornike Tsiramua and George Mumladze shape the program\u2019s core experience.<\/p>\n

For George Mumladze, the mentoring experience has been especially meaningful. \u201cI consider sharing my own experiences \u2014 both mistakes and successes \u2014 with others to be a crucial part of my work. We shared our experiences with early-stage startups and gave them advice on how to take their first steps quickly and effectively. Moreover, my personal goal was to help the teams develop a \u2018winner\u2019s mindset,\u2019 which I find extremely important. In the long term, such a mindset plays a decisive role in shaping their ambitions and leadership skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMentoring here means encouraging young Georgian innovators to think big, take bold risks, and embrace the lessons of both wins and setbacks. The energy and growth we\u2019ve seen already are truly motivating,\u201d shares Tornike Tsiramua.<\/p>\n

BTU recently held its annual Pre-Accelerator Demo Day, dedicated this year to Artificial Intelligence, which featured six shortlisted startups:<\/p>\n