Yerevan, Armenia – August 20, 2024 – The WITSA National Competition in Armenia took place, where 2 out of the 9 startups were granted a unique opportunity to showcase their solutions and compete on the international stage among 16 countries this fall. Text’nPayMe and AllClean startups will represent Armenia at the WITSA World Cup 2024 in October.
The WITSA World Cup (WWC) will take place in frames of the WCIT2024/DigiTec in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 4-7, 2024, at the Karen Demirtchian Complex.
“I am delighted to welcome you all on this significant day. Today, we stand at the forefront of innovation and technology development, and I am especially pleased that The World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT2024/DigiTec) will create an environment also for Armenian startups to present their ideas and solutions on an international platform using this unique opportunity. I am confident that the selected innovative solutions will represent Armenia with great pride and capture the attention of the global tech community,” – mentioned Hayk Karapetyan, Executive Director of the Organizing Committee of WCIT2024//DigiTec during his welcome speech.
The jury for the Armenian pre-selection stage of the WITSA World Cup National Competition was presented by:
– Ruben Simonyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia;
– Dmitri Stepanov, Director of New Products at Yandex;
– Sona Mamyan, Director of Growth 10web․io;
– Hayk Hayrapetyan, Founder at IMAST and Co-founder at AI9.
Armenian early-stage/pre-series A startups competed in the national finals for the opportunity to represent Armenia on the global platform. These startups showcase solutions in diverse fields such as medicine, healthcare, banking, commerce, digital Ads optimization, and bionic hand technology.
The selection process for the national competition was focused on five key evaluation criteria: innovation, customer traction, scalability, tech for good, and potential.
The two winning startups are:
- Text’nPayMe is a fintech and deep tech company, specialising in innovative payment solutions for banks, fintechs, telecoms, and online shops. The payment keyboard seamlessly integrates into any app, enabling users to transact securely and conveniently within their favorite social networks, messaging apps, and beyond.
- Allclean connects residential cleaning companies with property managers and streamlines all operations.
This year the WITSA World Cup (WWC) international competition will feature 32 startups from 16 countries across 6 continents, providing a global platform for Armenian startups to compete and gain exposure. This event highlights the opportunity for Armenian startups to compete on a global stage, with a focus on innovation and the potential to create impactful tech solutions.
The WITSA World Cup in Armenia is organized by the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), SmartGateVC, and Yandex, as a host for the national Armenian selection stage.
In May 2024, the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises of Armenia (UATE) announced the hosting of the World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) 2024 in Armenia in close cooperation with DigiTec. Under the headline “THE POWER OF MIND: AI Beyond Limits, Within Ethics,” WCIT 2024/DigiTec will feature a high-level Congress program, B2B meetings, the WITSA World Cup (WWC) for scaleups, innovation showcases, business presentations, workshops, and more.
The WCIT 2024/DigiTec Congress will provide a global stage to showcase the transformative power of information technologies, emphasizing the critical role of applied sciences, investments, and their reach across diverse regions and economies. Recently, Armenia has become a key technological hub, attracting a wave of global technology companies that have established their research and development (R&D) offices and branches in the country.
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About WCIT: The World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) is a global catalytic platform of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) – a consortium of over 80 information technology (IT) industry associations from economies around the world. For 40 years, technology leaders—CEOs and investors, policymakers and government officials, academics and technologists—have joined in this annual event to discuss the state of the industry, where it is headed, and what it means for our future. Past speakers include Bill Clinton, Vint Cerf, Bill Gates, Ginni Rometty, Larry Ellison, Anne Mulcahey, Faqir Chand Kohli, and Michael Dell.
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Official website: https://wcit2024-digitec.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wcit2024.digitec
About WITSA: The World Innovation, Technology, and Services Alliance (WITSA) is an alliance of tech industry associations from 80 countries and economies. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in tech products and services; strengthening WITSA members’ national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts. WITSA’s global signature platform, the World Congress on Innovation & Technology (WCIT), is the premier global industry-sponsored tech conference.
Official website: https://www.witsa.org
About UATE: The Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) represents over 160+ high-tech companies in Armenia, including both local and international firms. UATE is dedicated to driving industry growth through key initiatives: establishing comprehensive technology education across Armenia (Armath Engineering Makerspaces), facilitating global market access, and exchanging expertise through organized delegations. Additionally, UATE significantly influences the legal field through policy-making and government cooperation, fostering a competitive yet collaborative business environment.
UATE is renowned for organizing major events that highlight Armenian technological advancements. Notably, it hosted WCIT in 2019 and is set to host it again in 2024, while also annually organizing the DigiTec Expo for nearly 20 consecutive years showcasing innovations to both local and global audiences. Through these efforts, UATE continues to elevate Armenia’s presence in the global tech landscape. .
Official website: https://www.uate.org
About DIGITEC: The Digitec exhibition is an annual event organized by the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) since 2005, showcasing Armenia’s tech potential, innovation, and prospects. With up to 80,000 attendees each year, the exhibition serves as a platform to explore global technological trends. Digitec continues to evolve. In 2023, UATE organized two simultaneous exhibitions, each featuring 120 companies and hosting over 100 speakers. By the end of 2023, participating companies facilitated over 100 million AMD in transactions during Digitec2023.
DigiTec 2024 is scheduled to take place this year from October 4th to 6th at the “Meridian” Expo Center (Voskerichinen 1, Yerevan).
