On November 30, at the Telegraph Hotel, Georgia’s most influential business publication, Forbes Georgia, hosted the awards ceremony for the winners of its Under 30 list. The event aimed to introduce to the public the young individuals who, through their courage, innovative vision, and perseverance, are shaping the country’s future and setting new standards across various industries.
For years, the Forbes Georgia Under 30 platform has served as a space to showcase the achievements of young leaders, encouraging them to continue growing boldly in an environment full of challenges. This year’s theme — Be Bold — reflected that very spirit, highlighting the role of courage, innovation, and leadership in shaping the future.
The event opened with a welcome address by Shota Dighmelashvili, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Georgia and CEO of the publishing house Media Partners JSC. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of the project and of supporting young individuals who are unafraid of challenges and who boldly take steps toward building the country’s future.
“You, the Forbes Georgia Under 30 honorees, represent more than just talent. You are courageous, ready to face complex challenges, and resilient in the process of creating what has never existed before. As you walk uncharted paths, new roads emerge beneath your feet. Today, we celebrate your success; tomorrow, we will celebrate the impact you will have on the region and the world,” said Shota Dighmelashvili.
Afterwards, the audience was addressed by Armanzhan Baitassov, publisher of Forbes Kazakhstan and co-owner of Forbes Georgia, a prominent figure in media, technology, and education across Central Asia. He spoke about the importance of collaboration between Forbes editorial teams and noted that the 30 Under 30 project motivates young people to fully realize their potential and achieve even greater success in their respective fields.
The young leaders were also praised for their bold steps by Irakli Baidashvili, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, who encouraged them not to be satisfied with their current achievements and to continue pursuing growth.
Following the welcome remarks from the distinguished guests, Giorgi Avaliani, Founder and Creative Director of the holistic design company Holy Motors, who hosted the event, invited the members of the Under 30 jury to the stage. They then announced the winners across various categories:
Technology & E-Commerce
- Shota Elkanishvili – Machine Learning Engineer at Pinterest; Vice Chair of the Georgian Artificial Intelligence Association
- Gigi Giorgadze – Director of the Georgian Artificial Intelligence Association (GAIA
- Giorgi Kutateladze – CEO of Flitt
- Sandro Shubladze – Founder and CEO of Datamam
- Anastasia Kvinikadze – Director of Engineering at Impel AI
- Ani Janelidze – Head of Data Operations at ElevenLabs
- Ioane Chikovani – Co-Founder and Commercial Director of Conceptdigital
- Giorgi Mumladze – Chief Operating Officer at Awork
- Kote Mushegiani – Member of the Agent Infrastructure team at OpenAI
- Mariam Gagua – Co-Founder and CEO of DwellUP
Jury: Nino Nanitashvili – Technology Evangelist, Natia Khukhilava – CTO of Helio.AI, Giorgi Iashvili – Founder of Cyber Trust; International Cybersecurity Consultant, Anano Dolaberidze – Co-Founder and CEO at Phubber.
Social Impact
- Muro Takalandze – Head of Strategic Communications at Baku International School
- Davit Jincharadze – Founder of Freedom Fund
- Rena Ajalova – Co-Founder and CEO of Lingua
- Tamta Kapanadze – Co-Founder and CEO of Burji; Software Engineer
- Nana Goguadze – Head of Strategic Communications at Visa
- Avtandil Mghebrishvili – Director of the Center for Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ilia State University
Jury: Shota Dighmelashvili – Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Georgia, Iza Gvaramadze – Web Editor of Forbes Georgia, Davit Tsiramua – Lead of the Forbes Georgia 30 Under 30 project.
Art & Style
- Data Chachua – Actor
- Tamta Japarashvili – Publisher at Palitra L Publishing
- Salome Jordania – Pianist
- Ekaterine Buachidze – Opera Singer, Mezzo-Soprano
- Davit Khrikuli – Pianist
- Andro Chichinadze – Actor
Jury: Nana Sharikadze – Associate Professor at Caucasus University, Irakli Rusadze – Founder and Creative Director of SITUATIONIST, Tina Asatiani – Director of Palitra L Publishing, Tamuna Kirvalidze – Founder of the “Art Without Borders” Foundation.
Education & Science
- Tinatin Gogricheniani – Senior International Clinical Research Specialist at Medpace
- Pavle Chkhoidze – Head of UG Startup Factory and High School of Georgia; Lecturer at the University of Georgia (UG)
- Miranda Nonikashvili – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); University of Georgia (UG); Global and Public Health Researcher
- Khatia Targamadze – Researcher at the City University of New York; Chemist
- Tinatin Baratashvili – Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, KU Leuven; Doctor of Science
Jury: Elene Zhuravliova – Associate Professor at Ilia State University; Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Bakur Sulakauri – Founder of Green School, Davit Tsiramua – Dean of the Business School at the International Black Sea University, Nutsa Kobakhidze – Associate Professor at The University of Hong Kong
Finance
- Nikoloz Mazanashvili – Head of Sales Team, Brokerage Department at Galt & Taggart
- Juli Avlokhashvili – Investment Strategist at the Georgian Pension Fund
- Sandro Tushishvili – Investment M&A Banker and Corporate Finance Lecturer at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po)
- Khatia Gremelashvili – Business Operations and Strategy Manager at ZURU Toys
- Iro Tsagareishvili – Director of the Georgian Angel Investors Network (Axel); Entrepreneur
Jury: Tamar Gakharia – Chief Financial Officer at CBS Group LLC, Tornike Qiqishvili – Vice President at Deutsche Börse; Head of Regulation & Governance, Davit Zghudadze – Vice President of Mastercard for Georgia and Armenia, Giorgi Simongulashvili – Partner at GEC Business Growth Services; Board Member of the European Business Angel Network, Tornike Kordzaia – Deputy CEO of Reformatics Capital
Entrepreneurs
- Mariam Akhvlediani – Co-Founder and CEO of QuickShipper
- Giorgi Ghughunishvili – Co-Founder and CPO of Lawformer
- Ana Nadiradze – Head of the global equestrian tour platform Horsetoursguide
- Sandro Bolkvadze – Co-Founder and CEO of Widgera
- Mariam Karbaia – Founder and Master Welder at Karba; Georgia’s first certified welder
- Vaso Chaduneli – Co-Founder and CTO of Klipy
- Teona Vasadze – Co-Founder of Lawformer and LegalTech Meetup
- Giorgi Razmadze – Co-Founder and CEO of Awork
Jury: Alexandre Tavkhelidze – CEO of Wempler, Elene Jgharkava – Dean of the Caucasus School of Business, Caucasus University, Nino Enukidze – Rector of the Business and Technology University, Rati Gholijashvili – Managing Partner of BioChimPharm JSC, Jessica Tamsi – Board Member at Atari.Venture; Partner at Griffin Gaming Partners, Shota Dighmelashvili – Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Georgia
The partners of Forbes Under 30 presented gifts to the winners. They positively evaluated this year’s event and expressed their intention to continue supporting young leaders in the future.
“For years, the Forbes Georgia Under 30 platform has been an unparalleled space for discovering and recognizing young, talented, and courageous professionals. However, it is one thing to observe achievements that have already been accomplished, and quite another to personally take part in the selection process and get to know dozens of increasingly impressive applicants. I believe we will continue to hear each of their names in the future — these individuals will boldly continue writing their own stories and, consequently, the modern history of Georgia,” said Tina Asatiani, Director of Palitra L Publishing.
Following the awards ceremony, members of the Under 30 community — entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators — were given the opportunity to network, helping them unite their efforts to drive positive change.
Event Partners: Hotel Telegraph, Blue Ocean, Zoommer, Marketing Hub, Voiss Studio, The Image, European Business Association, GPC, Octo Prime, Chelti Winery, Rental Georgia, Gastronome.
Forbes Georgia: სარედაქციო გუნდი
