Verelk Syunik Program winners announced

Verelk Syunik Program participants

KAPAN, Armenia — On January 16, the winners of the Verelk Syunik Program were announced following a four-day entrepreneurial business bootcamp during which a dozen participants presented nine different business proposals and ideas. After a series of training seminars and workshops that took place over the duration of a few months, young professionals from Syunik were selected for a final round of the Verelk Syunik Program where they presented their ideas in front of a jury and answered questions.

The selected winners will receive financial support and continuous mentorship throughout the implementation phase. The jury selected award recipients based on the viability of the concept, its durability, its market demand, its profit and losses and the overall competitive environment. 

The Verelk Syunik Program announced the following winners at the concluding ceremony: Viktor Khachatryan (recipient of 3 million AMD), Shant Tumanyan (recipient of 2 million AMD), and Gabriel and Ani Beglaryan (recipient of 1.8 million AMD).

Viktor Khachatryan

Khachatryan plans to establish a gymnasium in the city of Kapan with special courses and training sessions for women and those who served in Armenia’s Armed Forces.

Shant Tumanyan

Tumanyan plans to establish a pharmacy in the town of Kajaran with delivery to nearby villages.

Gabriel and Ani Beglaryan

The Beglaryans plan to establish the Jeeg Cultural House, which will cater to Kapan, Kajaran and surrounding towns and villages. 

There was also another project titled, “So Fun” Cafe, which is a plan to establish an entertainment center for youth in Kapan. The jury decided that with some changes to the project, this concept can also be eligible to receive financial support and mentorship given its potential impact on the youth of Kapan. 

The Verelk Syunik Program was launched after its overwhelming success through its pilot program in Artsakh. Established through the donations and support of the ACAA Artsakh Fund, Verelk is a Capacity + Capital + Capabilities hybrid entrepreneurship program initiated and organized by the Youth Office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in collaboration with Revolve Consulting and other specialist groups. It is a program for aspiring young entrepreneurs and changemakers in Artsakh and Armenia with a mission to accelerate the economic reconstruction at a local scale and ensure increased and sustainable living standards for the youth (18 – 35 year-olds) in the aftermath of the Artsakh War.

Its purpose is to develop and scale a set of complete skills and technical knowledge for aspiring microentrepreneurs to start their microbusiness in order to leverage the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Currently, nine entrepreneurs through the Verelk Artsakh and Verelk Syunik Programs have been selected and are in the implementation stages of their projects. Those interested in investing in the program may visit the ACAA Artsakh Fund. For entrepreneurs and young professionals interested in participating in any of these programs, please contact the ARF Youth Office at ayf@arf.am. You can also follow ARF Youth Office and Verelk-Վերելք on social media for periodic updates.

Verelk Syunik Program participants
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