YEREVAN, Armenia — The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to open applications for its winter/spring 2026 flagship programs: EPIC Incubation, STRIVE, and EPIC Jam. Designed for individuals and teams at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey, these programs are open to participants from all academic disciplines and professional backgrounds — from students and first-time founders to experienced professionals looking to turn ideas into impactful ventures. Participation is open to everyone, regardless of affiliation with AUA.
EPIC’s programs are designed as a connected entrepreneurial pathway, supporting participants at different levels of readiness and experience. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, EPIC offers multiple entry points into its ecosystem, allowing individuals to begin by exploring entrepreneurial thinking, experiment with problem-solving and team formation, or commit to an intensive startup-building process. Participants often move between programs as their ideas evolve, forming a continuous journey from early exploration to venture development.
Incubation Program
The EPIC Incubation Program is designed for idea-stage startups with no requirement for an MVP or prior traction. The program supports founders in validating their ideas through a structured program of workshops, customer discovery interviews, and personalized mentorship, with a strong focus on achieving problem–solution fit. The program has already successfully supported more than 150 startups, and over its eight-year journey it has evolved, refined its approach, and become acutely focused on the needs of Armenian teams. Every session and every interaction during the program is well-thought and planned, with the goal of providing teams with maximum knowledge in the least possible timeframes. The whole program is fully gamified, including activities and tasks that need to be completed.
Aside from personalized mentorship, legal advice, and a competitive program, a major benefit of the program is community. The program hosts 10-12 teams in each batch, with each team addressing a different need in a different industry. Entrepreneurs of various ages, backgrounds, and interests come to learn and network, creating a vibrant community of future changemakers. The program offers plenty of networking events, pizza days, and group activities.
“Many teams come to us with an idea but are unsure whether the problem they want to solve is real or meaningful,” says Anna Khachatryan, EPIC Incubation Program lead. “Our goal is to help teams deeply understand their users and potential customers and build a strong foundation before moving into product development. During a 15-week incubation program, they try, fail, learn and advance together with their fellow teams.”
Admission to the program is competitive and includes an application review, interview, and pitching-based selection process. Applications for the Incubation Program close on February 1.
STRIVE
STRIVE is EPIC’s pre-incubation program designed for individuals who are curious about entrepreneurship and want to develop an entrepreneurial mindset before committing to building a startup. The program is open to participants with no prior startup experience or defined idea, and focuses on helping them explore problems, test assumptions, and build confidence through hands-on exercises, workshops, and peer collaboration.
“STRIVE is about creating a safe space to experiment,” says Sona Martirosyan, STRIVE program lead. “Participants don’t need to come with a startup idea — what matters is curiosity and willingness to learn. Throughout the program, they gain the tools to think critically about problems, work in teams, and decide whether entrepreneurship is the right path for them.”
STRIVE often serves as a first entry point into EPIC’s broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, with many participants continuing on to EPIC Jam or applying to the Incubation Program as their ideas and interests evolve. Applications for STRIVE close in mid-march.
EPIC Jam
EPIC Jam is a two-day ideathon and team-based program designed for participants who want to explore entrepreneurship through hands-on experience. Participants apply individually and are selected through an application screening process, after which they are matched into interdisciplinary teams during the program based on their interests and skill sets. Working on real-world problems provided by EPIC, teams develop early solution concepts with the guidance of dedicated coaches, mentors, and practical workshops.
“EPIC Jam has become one of our most loved programs,” says Anahit Hovelyan, EPIC communications coordinator. “Each year, we receive a growing number of applications, which reflects how much participants value this experience. It’s a dynamic and, most importantly, a fun way to understand what it’s like to be a founder and get a real taste of the startup journey.”
The program offers a low-barrier entry point into entrepreneurship, allowing participants to collaborate in teams, test their interests, and build foundational skills in problem-solving and pitching. At the conclusion of EPIC Jam, teams present their ideas to a jury, with top-performing teams receiving prizes and a fast-track opportunity to apply to the EPIC Incubation Program. Applications for EPIC Jam close on January 15.
To apply or learn more, visit EPIC’s website or contact the Center directly at [email protected].
Whether building a startup from scratch or just exploring entrepreneurship, EPIC has a program designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs on their journeys.
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.
