YEREVAN, Armenia — To address one of the most common challenges faced by early-stage startups — building the right team — the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA) hosted a startup matchmaking event as part of its Incubation Program. The initiative was designed to connect incubation teams seeking additional co-founders or team members with individuals from the wider AUA and EPIC community eager to join promising early-stage ventures.
The event brought together seven startup teams actively looking for specific skill sets, including technical co-founders, designers, and business development support, alongside community members interested in joining a startup at an early stage. By creating a structured yet informal environment, EPIC aimed to turn community interest into meaningful collaboration opportunities.
The evening began with welcoming remarks and an introduction to the event’s format, led by Anna Khachatryan, Incubation Program lead and community and operations manager at EPIC. Each startup team then delivered a short pitch outlining their idea, current progress, and the type of talent they were seeking. This was followed by an open networking session and reception, during which participants engaged in one-on-one conversations, explored potential partnerships, and discussed ways to collaborate moving forward.
Anna Khachatryan, EPIC’s operations and community manager, noted: “This was an experimental event that will definitely have a future. Our goal was to check if we can help teams find teammates. While it sounded difficult at first, it actually appeared quite easy once we saw so many people express interest. We will definitely repeat this initiative, trying to make it more effective and fun.”
The matchmaking format was developed in direct response to feedback from Incubation teams who identified team composition as a critical next step in their startup journey. Rather than treating talent gaps as a secondary challenge, EPIC integrated community engagement into its incubation support, creating a direct bridge between startups and potential collaborators.
“It was an outstanding experience to be part of the matchmaking day organized by the EPIC team,” shared Karapet Sahatchian, co-founder of the Figurings startup and a participant in the Fall 2025 batch of EPIC’s Incubation Program. “It was very useful to hear about new or ongoing startups and the teams being formed. Through this event, we also engaged with the community and gained new connections that may have a big impact on the trajectory of our startup — from potential team members, employees, and customers to new friends.” For community members, the event offered a rare opportunity to explore entrepreneurship not just as observers, but as potential co-founders or core team members.
Vitali Sargsyan, a participant who attended with the hopes of finding a team, added, “It was a great way to network and learn about projects that can change the future.”
The event was met with strong engagement and positive feedback from both startups and participants, with many expressing interest in seeing similar initiatives organized more frequently and at a larger scale. EPIC plans to further explore this format as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen startup teams and activate its growing innovation community.
EPIC encourages students, alumni, and ecosystem members to follow its social media channels and stay tuned for upcoming announcements to avoid missing future matchmaking events, community initiatives, and program opportunities.
At the same time, applications are currently open for the EPIC Incubation Program (Spring 2026 batch), a 15-week flagship program designed for early-stage startup teams ready to validate and grow their ventures. Applications are due on February 1, 2026. Learn more and apply here.
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.
