EVN Disrupt

Gevorg Poghosyan, the founder and CEO of reArmenia, joins us to discuss how their platform has facilitated collaboration between Armenians globally over the last two years. Through reArmenia, projects can raise funds or find collaborators who can serve as advisors for projects. Gevorg spoke about reArmenia’s curated “Expert Community'', a group of professionals worldwide who are matched with projects on reArmenia that they can contribute their expertise to. Lastly, Gevorg shared what he has learned throughout his career about what the tech industry can actually contribute to Armenia’s development.

Adrine Naslyan, the General Manager of QaylTech, joins us to discuss how her company enables remote rehabilitation using virtual reality. QaylTech’s devices, such as MetaGait, allow people with disabilities to imitate gait (a person’s manner of walking) while being immersed in a virtual environment using VR headsets. Adrine shared how QaylTech’s idea emerged after the April 2016 war, and how their products have helped wounded soldiers, and other people with disabilities in continuing their rehabilitation process.

Irina Ghazaryan, Co-founder and CEO of Doctor Yan, joined us to talk about how her startup simplifies the process of scheduling and managing appointments for doctors and patients in Armenia. Ghazaryan also spoke about Doctor Yan's additional initiatives, such as educating the public about specific treatment protocols and offering guidance on the recommended frequency of medical check-ups. Lastly, we discussed creating venture-backed startups for the Armenian market, and the potential for expanding these products to international markets in the future.

Sargis Karapetyan, the interim CEO of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), joins us to discuss the tech community’s role in building a prosperous and secure future for Armenia. Karapetyan explained his vision for UATE and the role it needs to play in talent building, fostering connections in the industry and advocating for a regulatory framework under which companies in Armenia can solve hard tech problems. We also spoke about Digitec 2023’s reboot, and its emphasis on building for the local market. Lastly, Karapetyan spoke about the innovation center that UATE launched in Ijevan earlier this year, and plans for building similar innovation centers across the country.

Avetik Grigoryan, the CEO and Co-Founder of Bazoomq Space Research Laboratory, and Masis Kumrigyan, the Technical Director of Space Programs at the Center for Scientific Innovation and Education (CSIE), join us to discuss the upcoming launch of Hayasat-1. Developed in a partnership between Bazoomq and CSIE, Hayasat-1 is a CubeSat. Grigoryan and Kumrigyan explain what CubeSats are, their uses, and the current trends in satellite technologies. We also talk about the development process of Hayasat-1 and its potential implications for the future of Armenia's space industry. Finally, we discuss the importance of popularizing science and space in Armenia and explore why this is significant.

Mariam Torosyan, the CEO and founder of Safe YOU, joined us to discuss her platform's mission to empower women by providing tools to report cases of sexual and domestic violence, seek help, and to create a virtual safe space for women. We delved into the progress Safe YOU has made since its inception three years ago, including the thoughtful consideration of various cultural factors that guide their implementation strategies. Lastly, Mariam shared her insights on the current state of women in the tech industry in Armenia, highlighting the efforts and challenges in ensuring that women not only have access to opportunities but are also encouraged to establish companies and assume leadership roles.

In this episode, Narek Aslikyan, co-founder and CEO of Armenian Code Academy, provides insight into the Armenian tech industry's talent infrastructure. He explains how the Academy prepares individuals for employment in both technical and non-technical roles. We also discussed what is required to create employment opportunities outside Yerevan, and the strategies to encourage various stakeholders to expand into different regions of Armenia.

Gevorg Karapetyan, the co-founder and CTO of Zero, joins us to discuss the development of generative AI solutions for augmenting knowledge workers. We explore the company’s platform, Hercules, which delivers generative AI solutions for enterprise customers and the productivity benefits it brings. Gevorg also shared his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in building sustainable and defensible businesses in the era of foundational AI models, as well as the future of co-pilots for knowledge workers.

In this episode, Davit Baghdasaryan, the co-founder and CEO of Krisp, discusses how his start-up has grown to be a leader in the voice productivity AI space. He shares his thoughts on AI product development in the age of large AI models, and what the newest developments are in the field of voice AI. Davit also talked about his journey of founding BigStory VC, an early-stage venture capital fund in Yerevan and Bazoomq, a non-profit space research lab where Davit is an advisor.

Suzanna Shamakhyan, Vice President of Strategic Programming at the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), joins us to discuss the organization’s initiatives to improve education and science in Armenia. She breaks down how the current poor state of the country’s education system can be viewed as an opportunity to pilot innovative new solutions. We also discussed FAST’s new Generation AI program, which aims to bring artificial intelligence education to high schools in Armenia.