AUA Students Return Energized and Inspired From EPIC/HIVE Silicon Valley Industry Tour

5 min read

YEREVAN, Armenia — The group of the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) students who were on a ten-day tour of Silicon Valley recently returned to Armenia. This industry study tour was organized by the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) of AUA, in close collaboration with HIVE Ventures and San Jose State University, and is funded by the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation. The planned activities at Silicon Valley, a widely recognized global technology and innovation hub, engaged the students in numerous activities — workshops, lectures, company visits, and demos of various products in IT, computer hardware and software, semiconductors, investment, and design. 

During their visit, the participating AUA students had the opportunity of holding discussions with senior executives from leading tech companies, such as Pinterest, Google, Synopsis, and Siemens. These conversations were engaging and revealed the future-oriented mindset of these tech leaders, adept at envisioning the impact of new technologies and consequent change over the next decades. The students also viewed eye-opening demos of the latest technologies at Advanced Micro Devices, Hewlett Packard, and Nvidia. 

Among the important themes discussed were artificial intelligence, semiconductors, blockchain, and quantum computing and their likely impact in the coming years. Of particular interest to the students was the meeting with the head of strategy at Lucid Motors, an innovative US electric vehicle manufacturer. The students learned about Lucid’s value proposition, market positioning in an increasingly crowded EV market, and business strategy. They even had the chance to demo the Lucid Air, the company’s all-electric high-performance luxury sedan, the new vehicle competing against Tesla’s Model S.

In addition to being immersed in innovation and technology, the students explored Silicon Valley’s thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurs and startups. They attended numerous talks and workshops by entrepreneurs from Velmeni, Credit Karma, HUNGRY, EyeQue, and CodeSignal. These sessions delved into the processes of starting new ventures, including lessons learned and best practices. 

A highlight of the tour was meeting with the former CEO of SRI International, Curtis Carlson. SRI, known as a global innovation factory, has founded or spun-off ventures and technologies such as Siri (acquired by Apple), da Vinci robot-assisted Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical), and AI-powered voice recognition technology (Nuance Communications), among others. The discussion with Carlson centered on the start-up process that is initially focused on identifying and solving the problems of others, creating end-user value, and developing skills for personal entrepreneurial success.

Collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and investment, core concepts taught in AUA EPIC programs, were emphasized throughout the tour. The students heard the success stories of several Armenian startups duly shared by Tigran Sloyan, the co-founder of CodeSignal, and prominent Armenian venture capital investor Nina Achadjian of Index Ventures and HIVE Ventures. Achadjian explained, “Making investments is a comprehensive and competitive process, as one or two startups out of 1,000 receive investment offers from Index.” She also emphasized the importance of certain entrepreneurial attributes sought by investors.

In addition, the students toured the Plug and Play Tech Center, well-known for corporate innovation, acceleration, and venture capital, and IDEO, the renowned design and consulting firm that is one of the leading practitioners of Design Thinking, a creative solution-finding approach regularly taught at AUA.

Gohar Aghajanyan (CS ’23), one of the students in the group, found great inspiration from the meeting with Pinterest Senior Vice President of Engineering Jeremy King, the former chief technology officer of Walmart. She stated, “Speaking directly to the CTO of such a large, innovative company was very inspiring and insightful. The visit to Pinterest was one of the best visits during this trip and contributed to our understanding of ‘thinking big.’ I’m reminded of the Steve Jobs quote, ‘The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.’

Ara Yeroyan (CS ’24) described, “One of our program’s most enjoyable moments was networking with Armenian professionals in the tech industry. At Google, we were fortunate to have lunch with a group of Armenian employees. There was a sense of genuine camaraderie, and we were happy to hear their insights and guidance on career paths and professional development. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to connect with them. This experience ignited pride in my Armenian heritage and the achievements of fellow Armenians.”

Anahit Melkonyan (BAB ’23) explained, “Patrick Geddes had coined the phrase; one needs to ‘think globally, and act locally.’ My experience at the Silicon Valley industry tour perfectly matches this phrase. It expanded my worldview, allowing me to develop a wider, global picture, learning from the best companies and startups to apply those ideas and knowledge locally in Armenia as I move forward in my career.”

The tour also provided opportunities for the students to network with the Armenian community in Silicon Valley. Particularly, the students interacted with Armenian technology professionals and AUA alumni in the area. Friends of AUA and the AGBU Silicon Valley young professionals organized a panel discussion on “Connecting Diaspora & Homeland: The Perspective of Young Professionals.” At the event, introductory remarks were made by Dr. Mary Papazian, former president of San Jose State University; Dr. Yervant Zorian, president of Synopsis Armenia and AUA board member, as well as Prof. Michael Kouchakdjian, director of EPIC at AUA. Elize Manoukian, radio and podcast producer at World Affairs, moderated the panel discussion that included AUA student panelists Gayane Yesayan (BAB, ’23), Joseph Alakach (CS, ’23), and Yervand Tadevosyan (BAB, ’23). Additional community meetups were graciously hosted by Drs. Jerry and Mariam Manoukian and Chris and Gohar Kibarian, creating more networking opportunities between the students and the Bay Area Armenian community.

Anahit Hovelyan (BAB, ’23) summed up the tour experience, “In embarking on a transformative journey to Silicon Valley, I was deeply moved by the extraordinary people I encountered, who not only exemplified immense humility but also enriched us with their knowledge and genuine support, igniting a fiery passion within me to bring the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship to our beloved Armenia. Dedicating your time as a top industry professional to talk to students and patiently answer their questions is a culture we must develop. They were all very open to helping and staying connected with each of us.”

Karina Harutyunyan (BAB, ’23) added, “Reflecting upon this incredible journey, I am filled with a renewed sense of determination and inspiration. The Silicon Valley tour has expanded my knowledge and perspective and ignited a fire within me to take risks, solve problems and pursue my entrepreneurial dreams with even greater passion.”

Beyond the scheduled program, the students also enjoyed exploring San Francisco’s tourist attractions, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf, and dined in the vibrant Chinatown. They also spent time at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, where they enjoyed the Pacific Ocean, and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, where they spent a few hours on an adventurous, team-building hike through the giant California redwoods.

In the words of Jim Rohn, “Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.”

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.