ArmTech Impact VC’s Post

Greetings from the first ATIF Partners & Network meetup! 👋 The 3rd of August served as a point of gathering for investors and a close fund network in Dilijan. Twenty people were united by the thread of investing "for" and "with" impact by leveraging bright talents and resources both in Armenia and abroad. Starting from the commute to the city, meetup participants have immersed themselves into establishing bonds with each other. It was a refreshing change to meet all at once after being scattered across more than five countries during the fund formation. Continuous coffee talks, ATIF and an invited partner's sessions were balanced with meaningful discussions during the champagne making experience and lunch in the mountain area. At our meetup's core presentation, guests learned why and how ATIF can support Armenian and globally impactful companies, fostering Armenia's development as an impact investment destination. All participants have also been able to see the fund's role in harnessing the expertise of experts to catalyse real change in innovation and development through smart investment. The shared fund plans have also provided all guests the opportunity to share views, questions, and resources related to future ATIF milestones.  We are thankful to all the partners and guests who have attended this gathering. We hope your new connections will lead you to new impact initiatives with ATIF and more! Vahagn Voskanyan Lilit Hovhannisyan Davit Iskandaryan, PhD, PMP® Arsen Nazaryan George Barmakian Aleksandr Shaghikyan, PhD, MBA Arthur Aloyan Rafayel Ghasabyan Jacqueline Karaaslanian Robert Hovakimyan Ligia Ghazaryan, PMP Anna Bruno Maria Voskanyan Tatevik Khachatryan Natalia Chuprunova Babken Chugaszyan Audrey Selian Avik Arakelian, CFA Vazgen Shakhoyan Ruben Melikyan, FCCA Vahagn V. Ararat Mkrtchian Anna Mkrtchyan, MBA

Armenian or Global - Reducing inequalities with fast-growing startups in EdTech 📕 💡 With its burgeoning tech scene and young, educated population, Armenia is emerging as a hotbed for EdTech startups. This small country's skilled workforce, lower operating costs, and strategic location between Europe and Asia, position it to become a global hub for educational technology innovation. With soaring demand for EdTech, a trend emerges: more and more startups founded by Armenian diaspora members are making their mark on the global stage. Venture capitalists are taking notice, propelling these innovative solutions onto the world arena. And impact investors start bridging the gap between financial returns and positive social outcomes. For a deeper dive into the EdTech sector, feel free to explore our new market snapshot ⬇ TUMO Labs, Teach For Armenia, Uteach #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia #impactinvestment #edtech #education

Investing in AgriTech: Is it the right choice to create impact or generate returns? 🥕 📈 In the midst of a growing population, attention to agriculture is on the rise. The sector serves the population's basic needs related to income, employment and food. And it scales up to the global level covering food security, supply chains and issues of farming productivity. With a focus on global sustainable development, agricultural technology is recognised as one of the most impact-driven. It incentivises players to innovate in the field of traditional manual operations at scale, bringing returns under the VC model accordingly. Explore the ATIF's findings on AgriTech and share your views regarding the sector's potential ⬇ Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, UNDP ImpactAim Venture Accelerator, Nation In Action, Neruzh #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia #impactinvestment #agritech #agrotech

Meet the next Venture Partner of ATIF - Avik Arakelian, CFA !🌎 Avik Arakelian is a biotech venture investor with over 10 years of experience managing investments spanning from startup creation stages to IPOs and M&As. Our interview: 1. Why did you join ATIF? We live at a very unique moment in terms of global technological transformations, especially with the integration of AI into our lives, from everyday apps to complex fields like computational biology. Armenia, while being a small country with a challenging history, is facing both difficulties and opportunities in this era. The emergence of new technologies are reducing the impact of geographical and physical boundaries, opening up new possibilities for the country's growth. The key to progress lies in creating an ecosystem that nurtures innovation. I am inspired by the vision of ATIF, a project initiated by my close friends, and joined as a venture advisor to support the fund in making a positive impact. 2. What are the areas of your interest and why? I have been managing venture funds primarily focused on biotech. While my interests extend to space tech and cybersecurity, among others, I am passionate about how new technologies can extend healthy human lifespans. Unfortunately, Armenia ranks below 50th in global healthy life expectancy and even below 60th in total life expectancy. Although this is not the worst case, significant healthcare issues in Armenia could be addressed by novel technologies, from AI-powered early diagnostics of widespread chronic diseases to new targeted therapies. We are actually the first generation to understand why we age at a biological level, and with advances in AI, we finally have the technologies that can address the complexities of human biology. We need platforms to bring these technologies to Armenia. And ATIF should be one of them. 3. What is your vision of the fund at the moment? There are several unique aspects of ATIF that significantly drove my interest in the project. It offers a very unique venture model, which is rare to find elsewhere. First, investors in the ATIF are amazing individuals from all around the world, and they all will be involved in active roles in the fund, unlike in traditional VC funds. Second, the fund is structured under the local regulations of Armenia, providing a direct route to improving the regulatory framework, essential for attracting more investors to our country. This gives us the opportunity to advance in terms of the investment climate and enhance the country’s reputation in the global venture market. I envision seeing more companies from around the world, featuring an Armenian fund as their investor. My vision is for ATIF to become a unique platform for interaction, collaboration, and joint projects, not only for Armenians worldwide but also for global institutions and corporations interested in Armenia as a growing and advancing nation. #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia

Assistive Technology - Is it the market for VC? ⬇ The demand for assistive solutions is ever-growing. Conflicts and their consequences foster the need to increase the quality of life and inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly. From common hardware like wheelchairs to novel software recognising visual responses, assistive technology serves as an area of daily impact. Suiting both sustainability and technological advancements, Assistive Technology generates interest from VCs. ATIF is ready to share the first snapshot of the market to bring you closer to the sector that drives impact globally. Feel free to dive in and share your views in the comments. #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia #impactinvestment 

The impact light is on. What sectors make it happen the most? Impact Innovation Ecosystem reached a combined value of over $2T in 2022 (Dealroom). Its growth is fostered by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which remain in the loop of VCs worldwide. ATIF is a newcomer in VC with fundamental experience in understanding impact and business growth jointly with it. We combine commercial resources and development expertise to provide patient capital to promising impact ventures that shape Armenia and other regions. Based on market trends, we see huge investment potential in: ❇ Industries - Assistive Tech & Med Tech, AgriTech, EdTech, Financial Inclusion, Sustainability Tech ❇ Stage - pre-seed and seed, with follow-ons at the next stages ❇ Geos - agnostic, with Armenia at the forefront We invite startup founders and investors who align with our thesis to join ATIF's network! Exciting initiatives are on the way. #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia #impactinvestment

Ready to get to know ATIF in person? Join our meetup on November 30th! #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia #events #vcevents #vcnetwork #impactinvestment

Let’s meet Audrey Selian, Venture Partner of ATIF! 🙌 We continue to present the team behind the Armtech Impact Ventures Fund. This time, we speak with Audrey Selian, our venture partner and impact investor with extensive experience in impact investing and technology. 1. Why did you join ATIF?   I have chosen to participate in an advisory capacity to ATIF because it is positioned as a fund looking at mission-driven companies with patient capital as they transition from early to growth stages in their life cycles. Few in Armenia and its region are capable of intervening at this juncture and I, like many others, believe that part of Armenia’s collective entrepreneurial strength lies in technological innovations that are positioned to scale. The collaborative, transparent and accessible structure of ATIF makes it a unique vehicle capable of harnessing the interest and energy of all kinds of investors eager to try their hand at financing in the regional ecosystem.   2. What are the areas of your interest and why? My background in impact investment in India leads me to gravitate toward mission-driven business models focused on sectors including agriculture, health and education, and my long interest in technology for development amplifies my interest in a vehicle like ATIF.  Through Artha Networks Inc. (ANI), a SaaS platform that I’ve been involved with developing and licensing, I remain very keen on exploring models of investment and financing collaboration across various sectors and geographies; through Impact for Breakfast, a network I’ve helped build comprised of over 3,600+ people across 34+ cities, I believe in the power of informal and formal network effects. ATIF (and a select handful of other projects I am involved with in Armenia) represents a confluence of these interests, and I believe it will play an important role in fueling meaningful innovation and catalyzing further capital for the country. 3. What is your vision of the fund at the moment?   My vision for ATIF is that it becomes a go-to for mission investing and a testing ground for a range of individuals, family offices, foundations, and fund vehicles who have an interest in ‘dipping their toe’ in the waters of the Armenian ecosystem. As a structure, it offers a malleable tool for folks to participate and engage as deeply or lightly as they’d like; it will also be a vehicle for showcasing entrepreneurial energy and building narratives that will ultimately catalyze capital and contribute to what I anticipate will be an increasingly wider and richer funnel of financing that will emerge over time.   #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #armenia #startupsarmenia 

Let’s meet Vahagn Voskanyan, General Partner of ATIF! 🌎 We are excited to introduce the partner who stands at the forefront of the Armenian impact ecosystem, aiming to spread its capacity to the world. In a brief interview, Vahagn shares his vision of the fund launch. 1. Why did you join ATIF?   I initiated ATIF with the goal of establishing Armenia as a hub for Impact Investment and driving positive social impact. Drawing from my experience as an international impact investment advisor, particularly in structuring a significant regional mature stage social fund, I recognized the critical need for early-stage impact venture funds in Armenia and other developing countries. These funds play a pivotal role in guiding social startups and providing them with the essential capital required to transition from their early stages to growth. ATIF's collaborative, transparent, and accessible structure serves as a unique platform that invites investors to contribute their time, expertise, and networks to the fullest extent, thereby advancing the regional ecosystem. Moreover, we aim to maximize the involvement of professionals from the Diaspora, further enhancing the impact.   2. What are the areas of your interest and why?   My focus within ATIF spans sectors such as Assistive Technologies, Diabetes Management, Agriculture and Financial Inclusion. These areas offer substantial potential for creating positive social and environmental impacts, aligning with our mission. With my background in private equity, venture capital, and project finance, I'm naturally drawn to mission-driven business models within these sectors. My enduring passion for technology for development reinforces my interest in ATIF. Having participated in projects like Tech2Life, Tech4SDG venture fund, Venture University Partners, and my involvement in structuring Social Impact Bonds in agriculture, biodiversity, and social protection. ATIF represents the convergence of these areas, driving meaningful innovations and catalyzing additional capital for the country.   3. What is your vision of the fund at the moment?   My vision for ATIF is to see it evolve into a pivotal catalyst for impactful Mega Projects in Armenia and globally. By leveraging the potential of Active Partner investors, ATIF should become an adaptable platform for those interested in financing projects within significant social impact. It should provide a comfortable environment for investors to fully contribute their insights and expertise. Additionally, ATIF should serve as a platform for showcasing impact management and measurement culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and building compelling narratives that will attract more patient capital over time. ATIF should also serve as a model for other reference countries to raise seed capital using the capacity of tech professionals  and the Diaspora's resources, further amplifying its reach and impact. #ATIF #armtechimpactvc #armtechventures #startupsarmenia #impactinvestments