Giorgi Tukhashvili Startup Award Held for the First Time
On June 30, 2024, the inaugural GT Startup Award named after Giorgi Tukhashvili took place at Stamba. This award was established by Giorgi Tukhashvili's friends and colleagues in his honor and was presented for the first time this year.
Giorgi Tukhashvili was considered one of the significant young entrepreneurs in the field of innovative Georgian business. He co-founded the globally successful startup Kernel and was instrumental in developing Startup Grind Tbilisi. Tragically, Giorgi Tukhashvili died in 2024 in an accident on the ski slopes of Bakuriani. The GT Startup Award echoes the work he began and his social and professional initiatives.
The GT Startup Award will be an annual event, symbolically held on May 30, Giorgi's birthday. Inspired by Giorgi Tukhashvili's values and vision, the award aims to encourage technological entrepreneurship, unify the startup community, and foster the development of the startup ecosystem.
The event opened with a short documentary about Giorgi Tukhashvili, which helped the audience better understand his personality and professional legacy. The documentary featured Giorgi's friends and colleagues, who reminisced about his career, personal principles, goals, and values. Business relationships based on friendship, constant self-development, knowledge sharing, and the pursuit of ambitious goals were what made Giorgi Tukhashvili one of the most promising young entrepreneurs in Georgia.
Following the film screening was a panel discussion, where participants shared their memories and experiences with Giorgi Tukhashvili, discussing their professional and personal relationships with him. During the panel, a friend of Giorgi mentioned that the investigation into the tragic incident in Bakuriani is still ongoing. According to his lawyers, Giorgi's death was caused by gross violations of many safety norms in the area.
The main part of the event was the startup award ceremony, which featured eight nominations this year. The organizers awarded both individuals and startups in various categories.
This year's winners, selected by the jury, are:
- Ecosystem Hero: Davit Chechelashvili
- Startup Gemini: Nikoloz Gogochuri
- Mindful Founder: Giorgi Vadachkoria
- Boldest Startups (two winners):
- Male-founded startup: Elven Technologies
- Female-founded startup: Lawformer
- Teen Founder: Giorgi Sheshaberidze
- Impact Startup: Phubber
- Super Connector: Nana Dikhaminjia
- Super Angel: Dachi Choladze
After receiving their awards, each winner thanked the organizers for establishing the award. They spoke about Giorgi Tukhashvili's influence on the development of the startup environment and shared memories of his advice, projects, and initiatives that directly impacted their startups and opened new perspectives.
Following the main award announcements, the organizers gave special thanks to Colin Donohue for his contribution to the ecosystem's development. The event also acknowledged the angel investors' association, AXEL, for its significant role in startup investments in Georgia.
The main sponsor of the award is TBC's "Startuper" program. Event partners included: Stamba/D Block, The Crossroads, Nexia TA, Start Business Solution, Polaris Finance, GB & Partners, Step Academy, Wowchy, Startup Grind Tbilisi, Globalize, Windfors, and Teliani Valley.