As the new coronavirus spread in Armenia, just like the rest of the world, we at COAF had a digital transformation. The shift was at first challenging, but quite smooth as most of our management and communication tools rely on advanced tech platforms. With limited transportation and gatherings prohibited, we shifted our events online too.

We had had the idea of organizing online SMARTConnects for a long time. The current situation made it come true even sooner than expected. 

New and incredible opportunities can emerge from the crisis. Now is the perfect time to get acquainted with the history of novelties of the world, the process of how creative ideas emerge and make our lives somehow easier. Consequently, we started the first online SMARTConnects with startups, the small businesses that revolutionize the world!

Learning from the best, we invited a true startup guru Vanik Chaloyan, the co-founder of the Startup club in Armenia and a board member at Startup Armenia Foundation. Vanik also teaches at Koti and Aygehovit village Startup clubs in the Tavush region, programs that take place at our COAF SMART Rooms. He was LIVE on COAF’s Facebook and the Zoom platform with hundreds of COAF students and interested followers. Time to unleash the boundless world of startups with the future thought leaders of the society. 

Skype, Airbnb, Facebook, as well as Armenian ones like PicsArt, Earlyone, and Crisp – these are all old and new alive and kicking startups as the idea behind them was innovative and made people’s life easier. Thinking out of the box and finding opportunities of being inventive – that’s what is critical for launching a startup.

What are the keys to a successful startup? Curious? So were our students. As it turns out, there are a couple of essentials:

• To have a brilliant idea and turn it into a business plan.
• To have an outstanding team. “The better the team, the higher a startup’s success. Always tend to choose the right person for the right job, people who are willing to work, and do not demand something from a person which they cannot give you,” affirms the startup enthusiast.

Where to start UP? Right here, in Armenia! Vanik ensures there is no better country for launching a startup than Armenia. Never stop seeking solutions to problems, and always be attentive to the happenings in your communities. Perennially develop your knowledge, and believe in yourself.

“You are the future change-makers, future Mark Zuckerbergs, Bill Gates’, Elon Masks, and other figures who have brought a significant change in the history of humankind” – this is how Vanik motivates our students.

Necessity is the mother of innovation. All the amenities, gadgets, and tools people own have once been startups. Because people who we call leaders felt the need for innovation, believed in their idea and did it their way. We believe all children living in rural Armenia have the potential to be tomorrow’s leaders and make their communities a better place.