General Description
In the framework of the EU funded “Increased Resilience of Syrian Armenians and Host population” programme, IRIS BI In collaboration with CHANGE LAB adjunct to ASUE, aims to undertake the Start Your Business: 3-day IDEATHON 2021 event within students currently studying in one of Armenia’s Higher Educational Institutions aiming to motivate students to take the entrepreneurial path by investing in the Mindset/Knowledge/Skills of students to generate business ideas and learn the basics of business idea verification tools.
The main objective of the event is to motivate students to take the entrepreneurial path by participating in the following stages of the Ideathon 2021:
Day 1 – Business Idea generation and Value proposition
Day 2 – Basics of Business Idea validation
Day 3 – Business Idea Pitch and Selection of finalists
The online application form is available via the following link: https://forms.gle/gx88ssvXAbUf9P329:
Finalists will be invited to master the above-mentioned tools (BIV and BMC) within a CHANGE LAB 3-week project to be implemented in the CHANGE LAB premises right after the event.
Call for Application deadline: May 28 till June 02, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM
Venue: ASUE, Lecture room # 315
Dates: June 7-9
Participants: Students currently studying in one of the Armenia’s Higher Educational Institutions
Trainers:
- Misha Poghosyan, IRIS BI expert- Business Idea generation, Idea validation
- Mkhitar Balayan, IRIS BI expert – Value proposition, Idea validation
- Narine Terzyan, IRIS BI ED- How to Pitch
Invited collaborators (coaches):
IRIS BI staff, reps of partner organizations, if needed IRIS BI resident-jury members
CHANGE LAB coaches
IRIS BI
- Selected C1 Residents
Modules:
Business Idea generation- Value proposition tool
Idea validation
How to Pitch
IRIS Business Incubator
The IRIS Business Incubator is a new Armenian institution supporting Syrian Armenian and local entrepreneurs to establish and develop successful ventures by providing a unique full cycle of business support services, including training, coaching, mentoring, and access to finance with grants and loans funds.
The IRIS Business Incubator has been established in 2019 by “Armenian Caritas” Benevolent NGO and “SME Cooperation Association” NGO within the framework of “Increased Resilience of Syrian Armenians and Host Population” (IRIS) programme funded by the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (‘MADAD՛Fund), Austrian Development Cooperation and Austrian Red Cross.
The mission of the IRIS Business Incubator is to enhance the economic integration of Syrian-Armenians and the host population through raising the competitiveness of the local economy by stimulating innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in Armenia.
The vision of the IRIS Business Incubator is to become the national Business Incubation hub for start-ups in Armenia. The main objective of the IRIS Business Incubator is to create and develop sustainable and competitive small and medium-sized enterprises by providing full-scale support to local entrepreneurs to bring their business ideas into the market.
Throughout the duration of the EU IRIS programme more than three hundred entrepreneurs will attend the trainings, and one hundred and forty of them will get access to finance. Within the programme the overall budget of IRIS Business Incubator grants fund is € 558,000 and € 629,000 for the revolving fund.
About EU IRIS Programme
The IRIS Business Incubator was established within the framework of “Increased Resilience of Syrian Armenians and Host Population” (IRIS) programme. The EU IRIS programme is being implemented by a consortium consisting of the “Armenian Caritas” Benevolent NGO, Armenian Red Cross Society, “Centre for Coordination of Syrian Armenians Issues” NGO, “SME Cooperation Association” and led by the Austrian Red Cross. Save the Children is an associate partner to the programme.
The IRIS programme is funded by the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis, the ‘MADAD’ Fund, Austrian Development Cooperation and Austrian Red Cross. The overall programme budget is EUR 3.3 million.
The EU IRIS Programme has 4 main components:
1. Improved access to health and social services for older people and people with disabilities among Syrian Armenians, most vulnerable Armenians and other displaced people in Armenia
2. Improved housing conditions for Syrian Armenians
3. Increased access to economic opportunities including business development and employment support for Syrian Armenians and host population (IRIS Business Incubator)
4. Improved integration and resilience of Syrian Armenian and local Armenian children and youth.
The IRIS Business Incubator as the main economic component of the programme, aims to become a tool for sustainable development of future generations of start-ups and will stimulate the culture of entrepreneurship by bringing positive change to the business culture of Armenia through innovative approaches.