Armen Sargsyan conducts meetings with Silicon Valley specialists

March 20, 2018 By administrator

Armen Sargsyan Silicon Valley

President-elect Armen Sargsyan has visited Silicon Valley in the United States to conduct meetings with representatives of the IT industries and High tech.

The talks, with over 100 businessmen and specialists, focused on the emerging trends and existing challenges. Sargsyan introduced Armenia’s significant achievements in high technologies, stressing the importance of further professional development to ensure competitiveness in the rapidly changing sector.

At his meeting with young specialists of Silicon Valley, Sargsyan addressed the prospects of Armenia’s development, sharing his own vision.

He also visited Synospsis Corporate Headquarters to get familiarized with the company’s activities and past success.

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Blake Krikorian passes away

August 6, 2016 By administrator

Blake Krikorian, longtime and much-beloved Silicon Valley entrepreneur, died on Aug. 3. While the cause of his death is still unconfirmed, he was apparently struck by a heart attack while surfing in the San Francisco area, the Armenian Weekly reports.
The news of his passing has slowly been making its way Friday morning through the tech network that he was a big part of. Krikorian was only 48.
Considered one of tech’s savviest execs with regard to video and media distribution, Krikorian was also one of its most ebullient characters and was never shy about expressing his opinion about anything.
I cannot tell you how many times he would call me after I posted a story to tell me what I had gotten right and wrong, voice booming. But it was always with a devilish twinkle and giant smile, because Krikorian always got the sometimes silly farce of the tech world, as well as its important impact.
When we were on the set of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” taping a show set at the conference Walt Mossberg and I do called Code, Krikorian—who was playing himself hanging around in our fake green room—was relentlessly teasing us about the ridiculousness of us mocking ourselves. All I remember of him from that day was his deep and sustained laughter, because whatever he did, Krikorian always seemed to enjoy himself immensely.

His favorite topic, of course, was how the whole Hollywood and Silicon Valley relationship was faring. He loved that intersection and spent his life dedicated to grokking how to make it work. But he still managed to keep an almost childlike wonder about the strides that had been made in media delivery.
I’ll never forget him “geeking out” with my two young sons at his really tricked-out home theater, testing some new 3-D product, as hopped up as they were on the coolness of it. (After that much fun, my elder son jokingly asked Blake to adopt him.)
Krikorian was perhaps best known as the CEO of Sling Media, which he founded with his brother Jason. He debuted it at our AllThingsD conference in 2004.
The device maker of the Slingbox was acquired by EchoStar in 2007 for close to $400 million, but Krikorian did not stay long in the corporate environment. In fact, he once regaled me about how he could not even order water for his staff at the annual CES show without forms in triplicate.
He became an active angel investor, served on the board of Amazon and also did a stint as the head of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business after it bought another company he founded and led called id8 Group R2 Studios that worked on home automation.
Most recently, he had moved to what he loved best—tinkering as a tireless entrepreneur—as well as investing.
Those include some promising startups, such as Lytro, Kno, Clipboard, Chirply and Tasty Labs. Krikorian also invested in Clicker, which was sold to CBS and, more recently, FreeWheel, which sold to Comcast.
His latest focus remained on home automation, which has been a personal interest for some time, including wiring (or, more precisely, wireless-ing) up his own house in a variety of ever more complex digital experiments.
He once told me he began to outfit his home using Apple devices and then switched to Google’s Android operating system since the software was easier and more extensible to develop on.
Most importantly, Krikorian made deep friendships all over the sector and was a tireless supporter in those relationships. He was one of the people who helped his former partner, Jason Hirschhorn, recover after his emergency heart surgery last year.
Krikorian is survived by his wife Cathy and two daughters. His death leaves them, and all of Silicon Valley really, devastated.

First-ever Armenia IT Forum kicks off in Silicon Valley

June 11, 2016 By administrator

214469 Leading members of the Armenian diaspora and those interested in technology companies and startups in Armenia convened on Friday, June 10 at the Armenia IT Forum at Synopsys in Mountain View.

The daylong gathering provides an opportunity to network, share ideas and identify investment opportunities in Armenia with CEOs, venture capitalists, academics, and entrepreneurs. The Forum is organized within the framework of the ArmTech Congress and held under the high patronage of the Prime Minister of Armenia.

Sponsors of the event include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, the Union of Information and Technology Enterprises, the Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technologies, and PicsArt, a photo app company with 65 million active users founded by two Armenian entrepreneurs. Organizers include the Government of the Republic of Armenia, ArmTech Congress, CEED, World Bank Group, Synopsys, and the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF).

The four panel discussions at the Forum will address critical issues including:

– The IT Industry in Armenia Recent Developments and Success Stories

– Building an Ecosystem for Global Startups and Connecting to Global Markets

– Challenges and Opportunities of Investing in Armenia

– The Role of Education in Unlocking Startup Talent

“This year the forum will focus on the progress and successes of our organizations and startups, especially in the U.S. market,” said Bagrat Yengibaryan Ph.D., Director of the EIF. “We’re going to discuss the importance of education and explore the challenges for the further development of the IT sector in Armenia.”

Jemma Israyelyan: Connecting Armenian entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley

March 14, 2016 By administrator

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development (CEED) Foundation has been implementing various projects to boost the development of Armenia’s IT sector, Armenia – U.S. IT Acceleration Program being among them. In an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net, CEED Director Jemma Israyelyan elaborates on past projects, upcoming endeavors and the Armenia IT Startup Forum to be held in Silicon Valley.

Ms. Israyelyan, last November we talked about CEED activities in Armenia. You told us that CEED helps businesses grow by developing, connecting and mentoring entrepreneurs so they can create jobs and in turn accelerate economic prosperity. At the time of our conversation you were launching Perfect Pitch to Investors, a program for which you invited two accomplished Silicon Valley venture capitalists, Ron Weissman and Roger Strauch, to Yerevan to help Armenian entrepreneurs develop their pitching skills. How did the program go?

We were fortunate to have a very strong group of participants and truly effective instructors. Roger Strauch, Co-founder and Chairman of the Roda Group, a seed stage venture capital group based in Berkeley, California, had been a mentor in our earlier programs and consistently provided our entrepreneurs with valuable feedback and advice. Ron Weissman, a well-regarded Silicon Valley investor who worked extensively with Steve Jobs and served on the board of directors of more than 25 companies, visited Armenia for the first time to co-lead the program with Strauch and shared his insights and experience with our entrepreneurs. It was rewarding to hear overwhelmingly positive comments on both sides: Ron told us this experience turned him into a strong advocate of the Armenian startup community in Silicon Valley and the participants were very generous with their praise. It became clear that we should organize such a workshop again.

Now you’re implementing another project, Armenia – U.S. IT Acceleration Program, connected to the Silicon Valley. Please, tell us about it.

The Armenia – U.S. IT Acceleration Program is a project of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), the Armenian government and the World Bank, which we are implementing together with our U.S. office. The goal is to help Armenian technology companies connect to Silicon Valley and succeed in global markets. The program will start with a six-week acceleration that includes trainings, mentorship and pitching practice. The participants will have an opportunity to work with accomplished entrepreneurs from the CEED Global Network as well as local experts. At the Demo Day, five companies will be selected to go to Silicon Valley. We will arrange meetings with potential investors, partners, and clients in Silicon Valley and will work with the finalists to help them take full advantage of this opportunity. They will also be invited to participate in the Armenia IT Startup Forum, which we’re organizing in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of this project.

Who can apply and what are the terms of participation?

The program is designed for companies with relatively mature products that have a chance to be attractive to international investors in several months. Both startup teams and established companies with new product initiatives are eligible to apply. Interested companies should fill out the application form available on our website telling us about themselves and their products. The application deadline is March 15. There is no participation fee. In addition, the program will cover a round trip to the San Francisco Bay Area and provide accommodation for the finalists during their stay.

You mentioned that the Armenia IT Startup Forum will be organized as part of the project. What are the objectives of this event?

The Armenia IT Startup Forum is a conference scheduled to take place on June 10, 2016 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It will bring together various stakeholders from Armenia, Silicon Valley, and across the world to discuss the potential of Armenian technology entrepreneurship and the ways in which Armenia – Silicon Valley collaboration bridge can be built. The role of education to unlock entrepreneurial talent will also be discussed. The five finalists of the Armenia – U.S. IT Acceleration Program will pitch their products at this event and meet potential partners and investors. We expect the Forum to create lasting relationships that will foster increased cross-border collaboration in this field.

5 Armenian startups to participate in Silicon Valley IT forum

March 10, 2016 By administrator

Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), the Armenian government and the World Bank, in cooperation with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development (CEED) Foundation are organizing Armenia – U.S. IT Acceleration Program in the framework of the E-Society and Innovation for Competitiveness (EIC) Project.

The program invites startups and companies with new product initiatives to join an acceleration program with training, mentorship and networking in Armenia and the U.S. After acceleration in Armenia, 5 startups will participate in the Armenia IT Start-Up Forum to be held in Silicon Valley in early June and get introductions to potential investors, partners, clients, and accelerators to grow further. The participants will also have access to CEED’s Global Network, which includes accomplished business leaders and investors across the world.

The program will cover a range of topics, including Product-Market Fit, Customer Development, Product Positioning, as well as Metrics and Growth.