AUA EPIC Launches Entrepreneurship Promotion Campaign
2 min readYEREVAN, Armenia ‒ The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) recently launched the Entrepreneurship at AUA promotion campaign to fuel passion for entrepreneurship among students by increasing awareness of the courses available at AUA and of the breadth of hands-on, experiential opportunities and resources available through EPIC. AUA offers a broad range of innovative courses in the field within the curricula of various undergraduate and graduate programs.
Though different in course content and focus, all AUA courses in entrepreneurship are designed to develop the analytical abilities and strategic competencies necessary for students who wish to become entrepreneurial leaders or are already part of a business they wish to grow. The syllabi of those courses are meant to increase entrepreneurial know-how and competencies beginning with startup idea creation and validation, to identifying entrepreneurial opportunities, developing business models, securing resources and managing marketing and operations. Beyond the courses in the various academic programs, EPIC serves as a startup incubator to support aspiring entrepreneurs to utilize and further develop their creative potential, gain practical know-how and skills, and establish a network of contacts to be able to advance their business ideas to setting up their own companies.
Among the most popular entrepreneurship courses at AUA are Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Startup Management (BA in Business); Entrepreneurship (IESM); Startup Culture (GenEd). These courses are designed to teach students a variety of skills necessary for managing small businesses and startups from the beginning fledgling stages to the more mature phases of business development. Other complementary courses are offered throughout various programs at AUA.
“At AUA, we encourage our students to explore. Perhaps entrepreneurship can be a good fit for them. Nonetheless, our programs provide an opportunity to learn, experience, and develop new skills,” explained Professor Michael Kouchakdjian, Director of EPIC.
Kouchakdjian continued, “There is no single entrepreneurial career path. A student may be interested in joining a family business, helping a friend start a new venture, joining someone else’s startup, or even start their own company. Armenia’s future economic development depends on building and growing successful businesses. At AUA, we want to help our students acquire the knowledge and skills – from professors in the classroom, from internships outside the classroom, and from hands-on learning by trying to start their own ventures.”
In addition to the entrepreneurship courses in the degree programs, AUA Extension offers several stand-alone courses in related topics and runs the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program for women interested in launching their own businesses. This Program is sponsored by the Armenian International Women’s Association (AIWA) and has been successfully running for over a decade training women from Yerevan and the regions.
The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) is a platform for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and startup venture incubation. EPIC provides an ecosystem for the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) emerging entrepreneurs consisting of first-class facilities and collaborative workspace, programs and events, and a network of mentors, advisors and investors. EPIC fosters the understanding and application of entrepreneurship with students and faculty at AUA to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures.