The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a platform for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and start-up venture incubation. EPIC aims to develop knowledgeable, efficient, and experienced entrepreneurs to address the needs of Armenia and the world beyond. EPIC provides an ecosystem for AUA’s emerging entrepreneurs, consisting of first-class facilities and collaborative workspaces, programs and events, and a wide network of professional mentors, advisors, and investors. Teams made up of emerging entrepreneurs compete to enter EPIC programs where they receive further entrepreneurial incubation, education, mentorship, and other resources to grow and advance their start-ups.
EPIC teams enjoy the benefit of being located inside AUA by having access to the pro bono Legal and Technology Clinic, an engineering prototyping laboratory, library holdings and global digital databases, and a wide range of other AUA resources.
EPIC sponsors lectures, start-up conferences, hackathons, and industry treks. EPIC also collaborates with other ecosystem players to jointly host, organize, sponsor and participate in events and programs.
The mission of EPIC is to foster the understanding and application of entrepreneurship with students and faculty at AUA to craft high impact multidisciplinary ventures.
The Center is funded by the USAID’s Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) and by an AUA benefactor, Ms. Sara Chitjian who has generously established an endowment for EPIC.
