From December 1st to 2nd, 2023, the dynamic setting of Digitain hosted Armenia’s flagship event The National Competition of Business Ideas “Digital Business” !
The National Competition of Business Ideas “Digital Business” is part of a larger project, “Connecting universities-industry through smart entrepreneurial cooperation and competitive intelligence of students in Moldova, Georgia and Armenia”/CONNECT. Reference number: 617393-EPP-1-2020-1-MD-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP. The project is funded by the European Commission – Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture – within the Erasmus+ programme.
The project „Connecting Universities-Industry through Smart Entrepreneurial Cooperation and Competitive Intelligence of Students in Moldova, Georgia and Armenia” aims at reinforcement of university-industry relationship based on smart (multidimensional) entrepreneurial approach in higher education institutions from Eastern Partnership countries and enhancement of students’ and graduates’ competitive intelligence (behaviors, skills, mindsets) and their ability to create jobs. The project started on January 15, 2021, the whole duration of the project is 3 years.
The National Competition of Business Ideas “Digital Business” was an event where motivated people with great ideas meet, and who are able to bring their ideas to life, thus changing the world around them.
The event reunited important people from practically all backgrounds who were present: academic, political, business, or civil society.
The program of the event represented a symbiosis between the benefits of the competitors’ presentations, their business ideas, the knowledge provided by experts from top national and international companies, as well as positive and enthusiastic emotions.
Over two days, more than 20 business ideas were presented attracting the audience of over 450 persons. The business ideas were mixed with the captivating presentations of the speakers.
8 distinguished speakers from the top companies of the Republic of Moldova shared their insights, providing a diverse and enriching experience:
- Aregnaz Hakobyan, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Digitain, introduced the topic “How to enter an international market “;
- Samvel Martirosyan, Cyber security expert, Co-founder of Cyber HUB, illuminated “Why and How Business Needs Cyber Security”;
- Movses Makaryan, Cofounder of eatn’act fast-casual restaurants, navigated “Digital Transformation of Business”;
- Shavarsh Karapetyan, Co-founder and CEO at Karapp LLC, emphasized “Modern Education and Challenges “;
- Ani Karapetyan, Yooto Director, and Margarita Sargsyan, Head of Digital Marketing at Z&A LLC explored;
- Gagik Tamazyan, MTtQ 2 Winner Startup shared the insight of his best startup practices and the fuck-ups – Adriane Thrash, CONNECT Managing Partner, Anthology Management Bulgaria introduced “5 very important things for sucess” to the participants;
- Ninel Ananikyan, COO, Director of Brainskills LLC, Exclusive representative of ed-tech platforms Skillbox and GeekBrains in Armenia, discussed “4Kskills Concept of The
Future” – Anahit Sargsyan, Chief Operating Officer at Armenian Code Academy, introduced the topic “Tech Market Intelligence”.
The competitive spirit soared as the first-place winners claimed their participation in the final competition in Sofia, while 9 of other startuppers received SkillBox certificates, 3 – valuable books, 2 – vouchers for non-formal academic programs. Additionally, all the participants got event-based bags and subscription cards to Adobe Library.
Attendees were not only spectators but participants in exciting contests and giveaways, with opportunities to win awards.
To complement the intellectual feast, the event resonated with tasty coffee breaks and lively networking.
Special recognition was bestowed upon outstanding projects:
- Best Entrepreneurial Idea: S.U.T. and SeeFree from BSU, Fine Dining and EasyJoin from VSU
- Best Business Model and Plan: CusTour and ParkWave from BSU, Math’m and EyePen from VSU
- Best Marketing Plan: FoodTruck and SUT from BSU, BeeDigital and MyFab from VSU
- Best Social Impact: Emotiolize and SeeFree from BSU, The InnerHeaven and EasyJoin from VSU
- Top Sustainable Plan: National Trails, SUT and EcoStraws from BSU, In My Grandparents’ Home from VSU
Competitions and gifts from sponsors added an extra layer of excitement, ensuring that “Digital Business” became a truly unforgettable experience!
Sponsors and partners of the event: Strategic partner: Digitain Project partners: eat’nact; Lerna; Karapp; Yerevan Events; Adobe
The whole event from the beginning till the end was streamed online on youtube on the page of the project:
December 1: https://lnkd.in/ei6B_6zK
December 2: https://lnkd.in/eVVcKvKv
Evaluation survey will be sent tomorrow at the latest in order to get feedback for the improvement of the future events.
The estimated budget of the event – 6,105,000
AMD Brusov State University – 400,000 AMD for online streaming
BSU Graduate Association – 105,000 AMD for printing Digitain Armenia – 5,000,000 AMD (auditorium, photography speakers and notebook printing)
Digitain Armenia – 600,000 AMD for coffee break (4x)
Full program: Report about National Competitions in Armenia
