EPIC Announces Opening of Applications for Second Cohort of STRIVE
YEREVAN, Armenia — On September 12, the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA) announced that applications for admission to the second batch of its pre-incubation program STRIVE are now open. Updated, refined, and expanded, the program is accepting individual applicants between the ages of 20 and 35, regardless of professional background.
Earlier in 2022, EPIC launched the new pre-incubation program targeting individual participants with diverse backgrounds interested in and passionate about entrepreneurship. Aiming to equip participants with an entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills, the inaugural summer cohort of STRIVE admitted 22 talented participants 18 to 30 years of age and possessing eight different professional backgrounds, including healthcare, public sector, computer science, AI, and finance, among others.
Some of the early outcomes of the program included the emergence of startup teams. Three STRIVE fellows — Aram Gevorgyan, Anna Malkhasyan, and Hasmik Manukyan — founded the BrushUp startup, which produces a smart toothbrush teaching correct brushing techniques. After coming up with the idea during STRIVE, the team participated in the Buissup Hackathon 2022 and was accepted to the Buissup Global Forum. BrushUp has also applied for the EPIC Fall 2022 Incubator program.
Another pair of STRIVE fellows, Dvin Zaghian and Anush Muradyan, founded IN-Turn, an idea-stage startup participating in EPIC’s Fall 2022 incubation program. Another participant, Neva Khachatryan, continues her learning journey at the Entrepreneurial Assistants School organized by the Hero House innovation hub. She plans to found her own startup soon.
After the success of the pilot run, STRIVE is back for the new fall cohort. Applications for the new batch will stay open until September 30th. STRIVE is particularly looking for individuals from outside AUA with no entrepreneurial experience. Knowledge of English (at least at an intermediate level) is essential, as the working language of STRIVE is English. Already constituted startup teams should apply to the EPIC Incubator program.
Throughout the 10-week program, participants will cover the fundamental concepts of the entrepreneurial mindset through informative, interactive, and fun-filled learning sessions, workshops, real-life simulations, and hands-on entrepreneurial experiences. In addition, participants will enjoy multiple opportunities to learn from successful entrepreneurs who will be guest speakers during the sessions.
Applications are open until September 30. Interested applicants can access the application by following this link. For more information, please visit our website.
The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) is a platform of the American University of Armenia (AUA) for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and startup venture incubation. EPIC provides an ecosystem for emerging entrepreneurs consisting of first-class facilities and collaborative workspace, programs and events, and a network of mentors, advisors, and investors. EPIC fosters the understanding and application of entrepreneurship in startup teams to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures.