The AUA Entrepreneurs Series aims to highlight innovative and creative startups created by AUA students and alumni. It also showcases the University’s impact as an academic institution that empowers and supports students and alumni throughout their professional journeys.
YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) alumnus Mat Sharafyan (MSE ’18) is the CEO and co-founder of Hecttor AI, a technology company that advances real-time voice understanding. The company builds proprietary voice processing systems that improve how people and machines comprehend speech in live environments.
The idea of the company originated while Sharafyan was pursuing his second master’s degree at the University of Michigan. “Being a non-native speaker, I faced constant challenges of fast-paced native American speech to comprehend it, and that’s when I decided to start working on the technology,” he said.
Sharafyan spoke on the impact of Hecttor and its reach worldwide. “We already have operations in over 30 countries, and a number of Fortune 500 companies use our product. We empower their voice pipelines. At the end, the goal is to become the voice clarity layer for all available voice pipelines. Clarity is the key,” he remarked.
Building a company from scratch requires learning while building and changing course as many times as needed. “You need to just start to learn as fast as you can and believe that you will achieve the dream. For any kind of business, you need to learn to understand the clients and, if needed, pivot,” he emphasized.
Looking back at his journey, he said he would give himself advice on how he approached creating a business. “There is a wise saying that is common among startup founders that we started our company not because this is easy, but because we thought it was easy,” he said. “When I started, I thought that the path was very clear. Everything will be very easy, but it’s not the case. You need to really do your best,” he added.
Sharafyan reflected on his studies at AUA and said he knew initially that he would pursue entrepreneurship, and studying economics provided him with the knowledge to create the company. After graduating, he stayed connected with the University through his involvement in mentorship opportunities. “A couple of years ago, Epic reached out, and since there are several startup ideas, I was engaged in giving them mentorship,” he said. “Trying to choose talent from AUA is much easier for the business and also helps me to contribute back to the community,” he added.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.