EPIC Demo Day: HogaTAR and What To Wear Win Agbabian Prizes
YEREVAN, Armenia — On June 15, the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) hosted 10 startups for the annual EPIC Demo Day. The Spring 2022 cohort represents the 10th group of EPIC startups since the platform’s launch.
Throughout the Demo Day evening, the teams made impressive presentations pitching their innovative startups to over 150 attendees, in addition to those watching the live-streamed event virtually. The attendees included startup mentors, advisors, investors, and successful entrepreneurs from Armenia’s startup ecosystem. The program opened with Operations and Community Manager Anna Khachatryan presenting EPIC’s achievements since its founding: 90+ teams incubated and 230 entrepreneurs graduated. She also briefed the audience on two key EPIC programs — STRIVE and Entrepreneurship World Cup — and concluded by thanking all the mentors, speakers, and advisors to the program, past and present.
Following the team presentations and based on the evaluation of several factors, including each team’s overall performance during the incubation program, progress realized, as well as potential for success of their new ventures, HogaTAR and What To Wear AI were awarded the Michael Agbabian EPIC Seed Fund ($2,500) and Michael Agbabian EPIC Innovator ($1,000) prizes, respectively. The event was followed by a networking reception, during which the startups had a chance to answer questions.
“EPIC’s incubator program is a first step for many budding entrepreneurs in the Armenian startup ecosystem,” said EPIC Director Dr. Michael Kouchakdjian. “It is where they first begin to validate their new venture ideas. After graduating EPIC, many continue building their startups, participating in acceleration programs, and securing investments while continuing their innovation journey. We are proud of the progress and achievements of all the EPIC startup teams. They have worked hard over many months, and with the support of their mentors, have advanced their ventures. We wish them much luck and success.”
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 students and faculty at AUA to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures.