EPIC Stories: “Breedge”
3 min read
YEREVAN, Armenia – “Breedge” brand is already familiar to a vast majority of AUA students. That young startup managed to get a good reputation in just three months of their operation. Many students looking for an internship or an entry-level job opportunity visit Breedge website or social media page to find one. This recruitment platform serves as a bridge between companies and students, as Breedge name itself indicates a connection between two “e”-s of the employee and the employer.
Breedge team members met during “Startup Boost Weekend” event organized by Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) and Russian Armenian University (RAU) early this year. It is a grassroots event where enthusiastic students get a unique opportunity to team up and build a new startup just in fifty-four hours. Five bright students, Vahan Melkonyan, Liana Hakobyan, David Tamrazyan, Mark Hamazaspyan, and Alexander Davtyan applied, gathered around an idea, worked hard, pitched to the jury, and won the competition. It was a remarkable day for the team, but was only the beginning of their journey.
One of the prizes for winners was a ticket to the EPIC, the first on-campus student startup incubator in Armenia that offers all the services and guidance to make a startup idea a reality. At EPIC, during the Customer Discovery phase, based on the feedbacks from students, the team came up with the final version of their idea – an online platform, which will help students find their dreamed internship easier and quicker.
The aim was to match student personalities with the company culture – a challenging and ambitious task, but nothing is impossible. At first, this was just an idea and the team members did not even have a notion about its implementation. According to Liana Hakobyan, the co-founder of Breedge, EPIC provided them with all the professional consultancy, coaching, trainings, books, and important events that every startup needs. However, most importantly, the team was happy to have an office space available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As Liana mentioned: “Initially, startups don’t have sufficient amount of financial resources to reserve a place to meet. Space is essential for a successful start and EPIC gave it us for free.” At first, when the team came to EPIC, they didn’t know much about it, but after spending several days, they not only loved it, but made EPIC their favorite place to work, study and hang out.
Breedge team is very proud to be an EPIC resident startup, since without the help of EPIC, they would not have advanced that far and that fast. Every month the number of companies and students using Breedge services increases. During three months of its operation, Breedge proudly managed to provide over 60 students with employment opportunities in more than 30 trendy companies, such as Teamable, Early One, Arloopa, Pixomatic, Chessify, SmartGate.vc, Innova, Vineti, Benivo, and many other. The increasing demand for Breedge services served as a basis for developing an online recruitment platform, which will be available to students very soon.
Breedge also participated in a number of startup competitions, such as “Sevan Startup Summit” and “SeedStars” where the startup was first acknowledged as one of the ten best startups of Armenia and won the third place, giving way to Chessify and Inapptics, already mature and experienced companies.
The call for applications at EPIC Startup Incubator Fall 2017 batch is now open until October 15, 2017. Student teams, which have a great idea, but do not know how to start, are encouraged to apply here. EPIC will provide students with all the materials, networking opportunities and professional advice, that they need to make their dreams happen. There is no time to wait, success is waiting for you!
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.
