Two Armenian Startups Advancing to EWC Global Competition
The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) together with the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) National Leadership Committee congratulates the startups that won top prizes at the EWC Armenia 2022 National Finals. As National Organizer of EWC, EPIC is proud of all the startups that participated in the competition.
By decision of the independent jury of the EWC Armenia 2022 National Finals, two Armenian startups, Text’nPayMe and Hopshop, took first place and will represent Armenia in the EWC Global competition. They will compete for a chance to win $1 million in prizes.
According to EWC Armenia National Organizer Nejdeh Hovanessian, “In comparison to last year, the startups participating in the competition this year were more advanced and their pitches more refined. Competition for the top prizes was intense, and the National Finals jury had to make tough decisions in choosing the winners. I am glad that as a result of the National Finals, we have two teams that will be strong competitors against startup teams from the rest of the world. I am confident that they will again provide global visibility for Armenia.”
The National Finals took place at AUA on August 13. The event opened with an inspirational keynote address by Hayk Chobanyan, CEO of the Union of Advanced Technology Entreprises. The opening ceremony featured speeches by the Global Entrepreneurship Network President Jonathan Ortmans, AUA Provost Dr. Brian A. Ellison, and AUA Professor and Director of EPIC Dr. Michael Kouchakdjian. A panel of representatives from the local startup ecosystem then debated how to accelerate the maturing process of Armenia’s startup ecosystem.
Serving on the National Finals jury were Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia Dr. Davit Sahakyan, Founding Partner at Strategic Value Ventures Karen Gyulbudaghyan, Managing Director at ServiceTitan Armenia Ashot Tonoyan, International Expert at the European Union Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia (ITTD) Project Christian Schellenberger, and CEO of the National Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Dr. Hayk Margarian.
In addition to getting the EWC trophy, both winning teams received a prize of $10,000 from the sponsors of the event.
Text’nPayMe is a banking keyboard that enables bank clients to send money by way of any messaging application or other application that contains an input field.
Hopshop is Shazam for fashion. It helps customers find and purchase clothes or accessories that are available on the Internet and social media and even those they might spot others wearing on the street.
Another team, Biocentric, received a special prize from Team Telecom Armenia: a one-year subscription to an internet connection with speed up to 1,000 Mbps.
“Organizations with scientific orientation are always at the center of our company’s attention,” remarked General Director’s Advisor on Data Analytics at Team Telecom Armenia Zaven Navoyan. “I am glad that there were such startups in the National Finals of the 2022 competition, one of which received a prize from Team Telecom Armenia. I hope that this prize will serve as a small investment in advancing this startup from idea stage to growth stage.”
Original article: https://newsroom.aua.am/2022/08/17/epic-applauds-two-armenian-startups-advancing-ewc-global-finals/
