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On January 25, 2022, at 8 PM AMT Armenia Startup Academy will hold a Digital Demo Day to showcase the 8 startup graduates of its Traction Programme Batch 2. The 12-week mentorship-based programme aiming to help companies at a post-prototype stage to accelerate their growth and raise their first or follow-on rounds was launched earlier in September 2021. The programme is implemented by Catalyst Foundation supported by the European Union’s EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia” (ITTD) project implemented by GIZ. Viva-MTS, Armenia’s leading mobile network operator, joins the initiative as a corporate partner and supporter, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

The 8 startups offering innovative solutions in EdTech, FinTech, Media, InfoSec, Pharmaceuticals, and HealthTech have worked intensively with high-profile experts from international companies including Zynga, Dave, Fyber, CARFAX, on Sales, Growth Hacking, and Fundraising strategies. Throughout the past 12 weeks, the teams managed to secure international sales with US-accredited universities, biotech laboratories, launched refined versions of their products on IOS and Android platforms, experienced an average of 70% increase in user base, and got accepted to international accelerators such as TechStars. Up to 5 startups from the batch will be awarded Seed Stage Grants of €50K provided by the EU-ITTD project.

Alina Shahnazari, Traction programme coach and co-founder of Agile Clouders, a product consultancy in Los Angeles, says, “I joined the Traction programme to work with passionate and creative founders on product and product-led growth. I am truly impressed by the quality of the founding teams and their passion for building amazing startups in Armenia”.

The Demo Day featuring 8 graduate startups will be live-streamed on the Hero House YouTube channel on January 25 at 8 PM AMT.

Everyone interested is welcome to register on Eventbrite to get the access link. Investors willing to be connected with founders following the Demo Day can register with the “Investor Pass” ticket. Additional instructions will be sent via email. Pre-registration, which will be open until Demo Day, is mandatory.

About the European Union

The Member States of the European Union have decided to link together their know-how, resources, and destinies. Together, they have built a zone of stability, democracy, and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance, and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.

About EU4Business Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia Project

The EU4Business “Innovative Tourism and Technology Development for Armenia'' project is co-funded by the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by German Development Cooperation GIZ through the Private Sector Development and TVET South Caucasus Programme. The project is part of the EU4Business initiative of the European Union. It aims at the creation and further development of investable and innovative ventures in Armenia leading to stronger and competitive tech and innovation ecosystems with potential export orientation, increased number of Science2Business2Education cooperation platforms, and higher participation in HORIZON 2020 and HORIZON Europe innovation programmes.

About Viva-MTS

Viva-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people at heart since its launch on 1st July 2005 and in a short period of time Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market.  The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility), ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (Information Security Management System) and ISO 37001 (International anti-bribery management systems standard).

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC ("MTS") is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world's fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 86 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Armenia and Belarus. Since June Y2000, MTS' Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at: www.mtsgsm.com

About Catalyst Hi-Tech and Entrepreneurship Development Foundation

Catalyst Hi-Tech and Entrepreneurship Development Foundation aims to contribute to the development of the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in Armenia. The Foundation has a number of initiatives aiming to fuel the Armenian startup ecosystem with competitive skills and develop a pipeline of capable companies, including Hero House, Armenia Startup Academy, AI Incubator, Entrepreneurial Assistant School, Startup Boost Weekends, etc.

About Armenia Startup Academy

Armenia Startup Academy is an entrepreneurship and startup education programme aiming to prepare companies to raise their pre-seed rounds and expand to global markets through its Pre-acceleration and Traction programmes. The Academy was launched in October 2017 with the support of the “Support to SME Development in Armenia” (EU-SMEDA) Project within the EU4Business initiative. Since then, the Armenia Startup Academy has mentored 266 entrepreneurs from 112 startups with the ongoing assistance of 100+ high-profile professionals. The programme alumni have already raised more than €10M+ in the form of grant financing, VC, and angel investments.