Revive Veteran Support Program is the project of the UNDP’s ImpactAim Ventures Accelerator was implemented by the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST). he Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs was the partner of the project.
Eighteen (18) startups from seven countries, including Armenian companies, applied for Revive, with twelve (12) participating in the five-week acceleration program.Through FAST’s program, they refined their solutions, got acquainted with the procedure of entering the local and international markets, obtaining the necessary health certificates, and received advice on other areas of business development.
The winners were announced during the closing ceremony and are four (4) companies from Armenia, Iran, and the United States. Armenian AIP Tech startup received a grant of $7,000, the other three - Key2enable, Sheral, and oqni - received a grant of $2,000 each.
RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan, emphasized that the goal of the program is to support all the startups that aim to facilitate and improve the life of persons with disabilities by the means of innovative technologies. "The improvement of the life quality of persons with disabilities, as well as the ensurrance of internal development is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. In order to achieve this goal, during the recent years we have initiated a number of reforms to develop, implement, strengthen policies and programs which aim to attain availability of assistive technologies and create more accessible conditions for persons with disabilities," the Minister noted.
According to certain estimates, by 2030, that number could reach two billion. "The good news is that technological development allows us to provide assistive technologies to all of those persons with disabilities. And our commitment is to reach out to the technological companies to make sure that this people enjoy dignified life", said UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia.
Natia Natsvlishvili expressed her gratitude to her colleagues and participating startups, hoping it was a solid and rewarding experience for them.
Suzanna Shamakhyan, Vice President for Strategic Programs of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), noted that the program was successful due to strong partnerships: "We attach great importance to cooperation with the government and international partners to enable systemic development of science and technology in Armenia. This is the second project we are implementing with UNDP, with the AgriTech Accelerator established at Armenian National Ag...