YEREVAN. - The key objective of Startup Europe Week Yerevan 2017 session is to present initiatives, which are exclusively new to our ecosystem and useful for startuppers, coordinator of SEW17, Areg Gevorgyan, told Armenian News – NEWS.am.

In his words, the organizers slightly changed the event format this year. If last time speakers from all spheres were invited for getting the vivid picture of the current condition of Armenia’s ecosystem, it was now decided to present only new programs and projects. The selected spheres include hightech, social entrepreneurship, engineering and education.

“We seek to present the startuppers all the potential opportunities, which they might avail of, whether this be an education program or an incubator one. Besides, this is an excellent opportunity for the youth to integrate into the European ecosystem,” Gevorgyan said.

The Startup Europe Week session held in Yerevan was attended by Director of Startup Grind Yerevan, Georgi Kamoyan, Director of educational program Founders Institute Yerevan, Narine Kotikyan,  project manager of Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), Mari Barseghyan,  head of Kolba Lab, UNDP, Marina Mkhitaryan and many others, including guests from abroad. The meeting was held in cooperation with the EIF and Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center (ISTC).

Startup Europe Week is held every year in over 300 cities of 40 countries. The main objective of the initiative is to unite all the European regions and allow the entrepreneurs become part of this ecosystem. As a rule, such meetings are held in the format adopted in the Silicon Valley (speeches, discussions, exchange of experience and networks).

However, the approach to business is different in Europe: there the regional and political peculiarities have a great significance in the formation of start-ups. For this very reason such conferences are useful for entrepreneurs, since they help the latter get familiarized with the market players, directing them towards success and reception of investments.