Azerbaijanis have created a PropTech startup called MenzilPark for managing residential complexes.

The co-founder and CTO of the Baku-based PropTech startup MenzilPark shared how her personal experience living in a residential complex with an inconvenient management system became the inspiration for launching the product. Today, the platform is used in dozens of buildings and helps manage thousands of apartments.

Aysel Heydarova, City — Baku, Co-Founder, CTO, LinkedIn

How It All Began

I am the co-founder of the startup Menzil Park, a PropTech project that my husband, Alakbar Heydarov, and I created together. Before this, we both worked as mobile developers, and the startup idea emerged from a problem we personally encountered.

We lived in one of the residential complexes, where management was traditional—all processes were handled on paper. We constantly faced difficulties: utility payments could only be made in cash and during limited hours, on weekdays and partially on Saturdays, while we were at work and unable to resolve these issues in a timely manner. Due to delays, we even had our electricity cut off.

There were also communication problems: announcements about planned water outages or other service interruptions were posted only in paper form, and we often simply didn’t have time to see them. As a result, we regularly encountered situations where services were already disconnected without prior notice.

Moreover, we noticed that management companies themselves faced difficulties: debt tracking was done manually on paper, debt notices were posted on doors, and employees called residents one by one. This showed that the problem was systemic on both sides.

Launching the Startup

We came up with the idea to create a digital platform for managing residential complexes—with online notifications for residents, digital payments, and process automation for management companies.

Since we were already developers, we began developing the product ourselves. Later, we learned about the ABB Innovation hackathon, hosted by one of Azerbaijan’s largest banks, where the theme that year was residential complexes. We decided to participate, even though we had no startup experience and had many questions about how to turn an idea into a business.

Our initial goal was to make it into the top 10 teams and enter the incubation program to receive training and support. However, our idea was so well received by the jury that we were immediately announced as winners and participants in the next stage.

This experience became strong motivation and a starting point for the startup’s development.

The core of the project is my husband and I, as founders. In the early stages, we tried to handle as many tasks as possible ourselves, as is often the case in startups. Later, we began expanding the team, adding specialists in sales, finance, design, and other areas. This phased growth allowed us to maintain control over the product in the early stages while simultaneously scaling operational processes.

Target Audience

Our product is aimed at management companies. In Azerbaijan, there are many residential complexes that have property managers responsible for building maintenance, collecting monthly payments, and organizing internal processes.

Our target audience is management companies, but the ecosystem also includes residents. We provide management companies with an administrative panel for digital management of all operational processes, and residents with a mobile app for direct communication with the management company.

In this way, we ensure direct digital interaction between residents and management companies, simplifying communication and increasing process transparency.

Currently, we work with a large number of residential complexes in Azerbaijan and have more than 10,000 active users. A significant portion of these properties are premium residential complexes that offer an extended level of service. Such projects are most interested in our solution because digitalization allows them to improve service quality and offer a higher level of service to their residents.

Incubation Programs

After participating in the ABB Innovation competition, we were selected for an incubation program that lasted about two to three months and proved extremely useful for us.

Initially, we thought it was enough to create a quality product, but during the program, we realized that market analysis, adapting the solution to real user needs, and close collaboration with clients play a key role. This allowed us to structure the idea and form a complete business model.

This stage was important for us in terms of acceleration: we successfully completed the ABB Innovation Incubation Program, received support in refining the product and validating the business model.

When we decided to develop the startup, my husband left his main job and focused entirely on the project, while I continued working to ensure financial stability. In the early stages, we self-funded the project, investing all our income into product development.

Later, we began winning grants and prizes at competitions and fully reinvested them into the startup. All funds received were consistently directed toward product development, effectively acting as our own investors.

Additionally, we were selected for the EBRD program, which provides funding of up to €50,000 for startup development—one of our recent achievements. The project was also recognized as Business Solution of the Year 2025.

On Difficulties

The main difficulty for us was the first sales. We already had a product we believed in, but when approaching clients, a natural question of trust arose: who are we already working with, what are the implemented cases? This created a closed loop—without clients, it’s hard to get the first clients.

The main barrier was making the first deal. After that, the process significantly simplified, as we gained initial references and confirmed experience working with clients.

An interesting case occurred with our second client: it was a resident of the same residential complex where we started. He was already using our solution, encountered a small problem, contacted us, and, after evaluating the service, recommended implementing the system in another building. Thus, we acquired our second client, which became an important step for further growth.

After that, scaling became easier: in buildings where we were already working, we tried to provide a high level of service, quickly adapted the product to user requests, and made changes based on feedback. This led to organic recommendations and new contracts.

If talking about lessons learned, the main advice is patience. At the start, it seems like everything should work quickly and perfectly, but reality is different. You may periodically face doubts and external skepticism, but it’s important not to stop and keep moving forward if you are confident in your idea.

Achievements

During the project’s development, we achieved a number of significant results and attracted external funding. In 2023, we took second place at the ABB Hackathon Startup Challenge and received 3,000₼ for a solution in the field of digital real estate management. At the end of 2023, we also received a KOBIA grant of 17,166₼ for product development and scaling.

In 2024, the project took first place at the Baku ID Startup Battle with a prize of 5,000₼. In 2025, MenzilPark was recognized as Digital Business Solution of the Year at the MilliNet awards, which was an important national recognition.

Plans

Our plans include developing the mobile app for residents and turning it into a full-fledged all-in-one solution for managing everything related to the apartment and residential complex.

Currently, we are already moving toward expanding functionality and integrating additional services. For example, through the app, users will be able to order cleaning services, arrange water delivery, and pay for various housing-related services.

Our key goal is to go beyond interaction between residents and management companies and make the product as useful as possible for the residents themselves, so they can solve all household issues in one place, through one app.

We continue to expand existing integrations and add new services based on user needs.

Also, given that we were selected for the EBRD program, we have an additional opportunity to think about international scaling. At this stage, we plan to study new markets and evaluate how the product can be adapted for global expansion.