EPIC to Host 2-Day Ideathon

2 min read

YEREVAN, Armenia — The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) announces its new program, EPIC Jam, to take place from February 11 to 12, 2023 in AUA’s Small Auditorium. EPIC Jam is specifically organized to address the desire of young people who want to be involved in entrepreneurship but don’t have a startup idea or team. EPIC Jam is a two-day “ideathon” — a solution development marathon similar to a hackathon, but with special emphasis on creative solution-finding. The program is designed such that aspiring entrepreneurs enter as individuals, evaluate ideas, form teams with others sharing the same or similar problems and solutions of interest to them, and, on the second day, exit the ideathon with a startup concept and a team. At that point, they can apply for admission to the EPIC Incubator.

The program will start on February 11 at 10 a.m. with a plenary session to evaluate problems in Armenia and beyond in need of solutions. In two days, the participants will go through team building, workshops, mentoring sessions, idea generation, business concept development, and pitching. EPIC Jam will have a dozen mentors and coaches guiding individuals and, later, teams through their startup journey. 

EPIC hosts many programs. It may be unclear to some how the various programs and their sequential relationships are designed. Essentially, EPIC offers programs for anyone interested in the early stages of entrepreneurship. EPIC has developed a program progression map (depicted below) to clearly define each program, its target participants, and placement.

The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) is a platform of the American University of Armenia (AUA) for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and startup venture incubation. EPIC provides an ecosystem for 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 in students and faculty at AUA to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures.