Part 3: Meet Two EPIC Startup Teams Food.net and COWnet

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Innovation in Livestock Management and Food Recovery Marketplace

The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) is developing its third batch of venture startup teams for the EPIC business incubator. During the course of the program, the teams will participate in a 12-week idea-stage incubation training to shape their ventures, validate their business concepts, and build their respective business models. Having full access to the AUA ecosystem, the teams will participate in workshops, receive advising, and be mentored by seasoned entrepreneurs.

EPIC proudly introduces two more of the nine startups that were accepted into the program this fall: Food.net and COWnet. These ventures are designed to provide innovation in livestock management and food waste recovery.

Reaching Out to AUA’s Network of Supporters and Friends

EPIC is reaching out to the AUA network of contacts seeking support for these ventures. If you have experience in any of these industries or have contacts with similar platforms and technologies, you may be the right person to help us out. Or if you know of any potential partners or collaborators, EPIC would welcome hearing from you. EPIC strives to support, connect, and advance its startup ventures. Please contact EPIC at [email protected].

To learn more about each startup, please read the brief profiles presented below.

Food.net

Food.net was founded with the vision of solving the food waste problem in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It will serve as a platform for catering companies, restaurants, and other vendors to sell their surplus food at a reduced price to potential customers. Before entering the EPIC Fall 2018 batch, Food.net was accepted into the Impact Hub Fellowship and Repat Armenia Startup Incubator programs. Also, it participated in the Sevan Startup Summit, Abovyan Startup Boomerang, and Startup Boost Weekend.

COWnet

Research shows that one out of every ten cows dies because of health problems that are not diagnosed on time. The COWnet device will be the first monitoring device in this region’s livestock industry that will track cows’ body temperature, heart rate, oxygen level in blood, calorie level, and other variables, thus exposing health problems as soon as the symptoms appear. Founder Sargis Keveyan developed this idea after opening his innovation center in Gavar, Armenia. He spent time with farmers throughout the region and noticed the need for innovation in Armenia’s livestock and agriculture industry. The team placed third in the Startup Boost Weekend competition and is currently planning on testing a prototype. In November 2018.  The team also was one of the fifteen winners of EU4Business Science and Technology Entrepreneurship (EU4Business STEP2) grant competition.

For more information about these teams or EPIC, please visit epic.aua.am or write to [email protected].

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.