We are gearing up for the next STAN pitching session planned for Friday, 24 February 2023, and we’re happy to share some of the highlights of the “From Local to Global: How to Grow Your Startup” event we hosted at FAST creative campus recently. Three Armenian startups and participants of the STAN investment program – Denovo Sciences, doodooc, and HopShop, shared their success stories of going from small beginnings in Armenia to the global stage and the journeys they took.
How 3 STAN Startups Grew From Local to Global
Denovo Sciences
A participant of the Entrepreneurship World Cup Finals and the Berkeley SkyDeck accelerator, today Denovo Sciences is an AI-based drug discovery platform, but the idea for it arose early during one of FAST’s initiatives. Mher Matevosyan, Co-Founder Denovo Sciences, saysthe team spent a whole year conducting research and experimenting with different ideas. After participating in a number of accelerators, they now focus on biological experiments.They applied to SkyDeck after having almost a three-year experience in the field. For him, the biggest challenge was the management of time zones and communication throughout their journey with many of their investors from the US and the team in Armenia.
Doodooc
Doodooc is a music visualization maker based on deep audio analysis, and a participant of the 9th STAN Pitching Session and funding recipient from STAN angels. Doodooc’s visualizations were featured in music videos by Serj Tankian and Tigran Hamasyan. Arthur Asatryan, the marketing manager of doodooc, spoke of becoming the official visualizer of the FIFA World Cup Fan Zones in Qatar with its visualizations being displayed on every screen.
HopShop
HopShop is an app that helps shoppers find and buy any fashion-related item from videos and images.HopShop came forward during InVent, a venture building program by FAST. The idea came from a personal experience when the team tried to find a clothing piece they saw in shops. Tigran Chakhalyan, co-founder and CEO of HopShop, recalled their journey of passing through multiple startup accelerators in Armenia and worldwide, becoming the national winner of the Entrepreneurship World Cup in Armenia, and participating in UC Berkeley SkyDeck. Currently,the application is integrated with more than 450 stores worldwide. With a growing number of competitors, they never forget to think ahead and make strategic plans to change and adapt.
About STAN - Science and Technology Angels Network
The Science and Technology Angels Network (STAN) unites a group of prominent Armenian professionals from all over the globe to invest in seed-stage Armenian startups engaged in science and technology innovation. With 11 portfolio companies to date, STAN has already had several success cases. Most of the startups have participated in a number of pitching sessions and succeed in implementing their visionwith the strategic advice, mentorship, and connections afforded by STAN.
If you want to become the next STAN success story, you can still apply for an opportunity to pitch to us at the next session on 24 February 2023.
