The delegation of 10 selected ICT startups from Armenia is ready to participate in the “StartupIstanbul” Regional Forum to be held in Istanbul on October 6-10, 2016, due to the coordination of Public Journalist Club /Armenia/ and TEPAV Foundation /Turkey/ within the framework of the “Exchange of Entrepreneurs” Project.  

This year 24.646 startups applied for “StartupIstanbul” leading forum from 135 states, and only about 500 startups will participate in the event. 15 best startups will have an opportunity to pitch from the stage in front of the audience of 4000 attendees. The Armenian 10 startup companies are among those 500 startups. Their participation  became possible due to the coordination of Public Journalist Club and TEPAV Foundation within the framework of the Exchange of Entrepreneurs component under the “Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalization Process” (ATNP) Program with the funding of the European Union.  

The selected startups from Armenia represent various projects: 

1. Heltun - smart home systems
2. Scycryptor – cloud data security
3. LiTech – innovative lighting technologies
4. HY Pictures - interactive graphic novels
5. Bookoholics –  mobile application for booklovers
6. EarlyOne - electronic queuing management system
7. HurryApp – creative marketing tool for organizations to get new customers
8. DressZone – online system  for women to save and earn money through renting their dresses
9. FortuneCup – mobile app through which real fortune tellers read fortune on users’ coffee mug
10. ArmNomads – indie game development  

Before leaving for StartupIstanbul, Public Journalism Club held a special training for the participants, with the aim to develop their practical skills in negotiations, establishing stable business relationships with entrepreneurs and attracting the investors through startup pitching.  A separate training was also held about intercultural communication, during which participants got acquainted with the cultural, political and social-economic peculiarities of Turkey, discussed the development process and the current issues of Turkey-Armenia relations.  

The “StartupIstanbul” Forum will be a unique opportunity for the newly established ICT companies from Armenia to network with venture capitalists, angel investors, mentors and experienced professionals and to showcase their own startup products.

StartupIstanbul is the leading startup event, which brings together founders, investors and executives in the region. The event is an exclusive gathering of the leading startups, internet companies, angel investors and venture capitalists from Europe, Middle East, Western Asia and the USA where startups from different countries have an opportunity to present their innovative business ideas, get advice from international experts and maintain business relations with investors.

The Armenia-based startups will also have separate booths during the Forum, showcasing not only their startup products, but also the ICT ecosystem of Armenia.

The “Scycryptor” and “EarlyOne” startups were chosen as Startup100, and will have the opportunity to personally present their ideas to mentors. Upon being selected, 50 startups out of the 100 will pitch to the investors on the 8th of October and compete to be one of the 15 finalists who will be on the stage of Volkswagen Arena on 10th October.

Public Journalism Club, with the support of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), participated in the 12^th annual DigiTec Expo held under the slogan “Festival for High Tech Armenians”. The booth of Public Journalism Club served as a platform for startups, event guests, organizers and attendees to tell about their innovative projects, impressions, news of their companies through livestream broadcasting.

Public Journalism Club’s booth also hosted five special startups - ''ArmNomads'', ''Fortune Cup'', ''HY PICTURES'', ''LiTech'', “DressZone”, which are involved in the Armenian delegation of “StartupIstanbul”.