How Armenia is working to build a silicone valley in the Caucasus

Technological education in Armenia begins early.

In the typical three-storey state school in Yerevan’s suburban areas, Armenia is a slavic, nine-year-old, its invention – a box with three LED lights.

“He learned how to manage him and program. You can see the code is written.” Maria says a 21-year-old technological coach who led the class.

In addition to them, 14-year-old Eric and Narek shows the temperature and the fans automatically manage smart greenhouse models that control the mobile application.

Other children are enthusiastic and demonstrate their invention: Games, Robots, Applications and Smart Home Projects.

Eleven older Arakel holds a cardboard model of a house with a retreatable dress.

“I eased my mother’s work, some of the device is set on the roof and the other is a motor.” “When it’s raining, the line goes to the bottom of the roof to be dry.”

These young inventors, programming, robotics, coding, 3D modeling and more in their engineering laboratories.

The program began in 2014 and is called Armaat translated into English as “root”. Today, there are 650 intermediate laboratories in schools in Armenia.

The initiative was established by a business organization called Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) representing more than 200 technological companies.

“We want to see the vision, Armenia’s conversion to Tech Center PowerHouse, which gives the most values ​​to Armenia and the world,” he said.

In Yerevan, it says that in a wide and open planned office, it is already around 4,000 technological companies in Armenia.

Armat is part of the UATE Education and Workforce Development Program. Mr. Karapetyan says the program is the most successful state-private partnership in the country.

“We increase capital expenditures from the private sector, we are going to schools and build Armath laboratories, we forgive equipment,” he says. “And the Ministry of Education provides $ 2 million (1.5 million pounds) budgets every year to pay coaches salaries.”

There are more than 600 coaches and 17,000 active students.

“The goal is to own 5,000 children who decided to become an engineer every year,” Mr. Karapetyan said.

Armenia is a country where 2.7 million people in the South Caucasus are located in Azerbaijan and the boundaries of neighboring Azerbaijan and Turkey have been closed for decades due to unresolved territorial disputes.

Unlike their neighbors, Armenia has no access to natural resources or sea. However, during the Soviet era, he was a center of mathematics and computer science.

In 1956, the Yerevan Institute of Scientific Research Mathematical Machines was established in Armenia and made two first generation computers by 1960.

Today, the country is inherited by the possibility of converting the Caucasus to its technological power.

And there were a number of successes already. EU-pighthed photo and video editing website and application Picsart in 2011, started in Armenia in 2011. The same company, which is a double headquarters in Yerevan and Miami, is $ 1.5 billion.

Titanium, which provides crisp and business software preparing the audio processing program, is other Armenian success stories.

Meanwhile, the annual report says that Armenia is the best country to launch a company for a company launch It is 57th. This is the 70th place with Georgia and in the 80’s Azerbaijan.

Critical factor in increasing the technological development of Armenia, the country’s global diaspora – 75% of the world, 75% of the world, people of Armenian origins, elsewhere.

The society in this world, especially in the US technological industry, provides important ties. The United States has 1.6 million people of centralized Armenian ancestors in California.

Samvel Khachikyan is the director of programs in both California and in Armenia and a company aimed at technological investment.

He says the top 500 companies in the United States, “You will find at least one or two Armenians” or below the level below.

Mr Khachikyan explains how the company’s Armenian entrepreneurs help them to operate in the United States.

“Imagine a Armenian start-up, and two young people do not know how to go to work to work to work, do not know how about culture work.

“It’s difficult, it will be very difficult. We help them, like the launch of the missile, the first two seconds are the heaviest.”

Smartgate, Armenian founders for an intensive network with US companies and investors to the Silicon Valley and Los Angeles.

However, many Armenian starters first test their products in the home market.

Irina Ghazaryan is the founder of an application called Dr. Yan, providing book meetings with doctors more easily and how they apply to shareholders.

Ms. Ghazaryan worked in the product and web design when a gap in the market when it came from the family of doctors in the product and web design, when it came from the family of doctors. “Patients could not find the doctors properly and doctors suffered from endless calls.”

The application operates in the subscription model, along with doctors who pay for the list on the platform and plans to expand.

“We increase at least 25% of the month in the month,” said Mrs. Ghazaryan. “We are almost almost in Armenia, and this is the power to expand to other markets like Uzbekistan.”

Armenia’s technological ecosystem took an unexpected impetus in 2022 after Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. Thousands of Russians left their countries, and many chose to settle in Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Chipmiring giant Nvidia of the United States transferred the Russian office to Armenia.

Vasili is a Russian IT advisor that moved to Armenia in 2023. “Armenia, move, adapt, etc.

Russia estimates that Russia has increased from 5,000 to 8,000 people. This flow, in the technical sector of Armenia, data processing, cyber security and financial technologies, very important skill gaps are filled in areas, he said.

Again, the visile says Armenia may be expensive and should reduce the tax burden in these companies if they want to stay in the country in the country.

However, general optimism remains high about the technological future of Armenia. Samvel Xachikyan is waiting for the sector’s boom. In December last December, the New York Stock Exchange and now indicates the service that is worth more than $ 10 billion.