Startup Europe Week 2016 Yerevan kicked off in the Armenian capital on February 5 with the purpose to unite representatives of the IT field, boost the development of startup environment and reveal the most urgent problems the startups face.

The rapid development of Armenia’s IT field and emergence of new companies inevitably creates demand for professionals. However, getting an education is only the first step on the road. To become a specialist, one should constantly improve the knowledge and skills. To that end, training courses and education platforms are created, one of which is the Armenian-Indian Center of Excellence.

With climate changes and increasing world population, food safety has become a global issue. Scientists are trying to develop new methods to boost agricultural production for getting better harvest at a less cost. Basing on new achievements in the field of polymerization, Armenian startup Eco Technology has developed a product called AquaSource.

The IT field in Armenia is the corner stone of the country’s economic development. It doesn’t depend on mineral resources; it’s indifferent about closed borders and the regional situation. It only needs highly qualified specialists, who are capable to develop and promote their products globally. Thanks to unique projects, Armenian IT companies managed to find their place on the map of international innovative solutions in 2015.

Armenian-American startup SoloLearn is one of the fastest developing startups of the Silicone Valley with up to $10mln financial backing, according to Mattermark company engaged in startup research. Besides, SoloLearn was included in the list of the best applications in India. With the huge competition at the programming tutor market, SoloLearn achieved an incredible result: it became the world leader in the field.

The Internet of Things, which connects billions of various devices, is rapidly developing at the international market. The U.S. and Japan expect that by 2020 each device including phones and even washing machines should be connected to the Internet of Things and be managed by mobile devices. Given the fact that each person possesses three or four devices, their number might exceed 7 billion in five years. The huge diversity of devices should function and interact through cloud services. The existing servers would hardly provide resources for the functioning of such a great number of devices. That is why many companies, including Armenian startup Flaxton are now searching for new cloud solutions.

Everyone loves to give, and even more so, receive gifts. We sometimes experience difficulties, however, in finding out what our loved ones would like to get. The Armenian startup GiftsApp set a goal of creating the world's only universal platform for exchanging gifts, thus crafting an eponymous service.

Armenian startup ArmNomads that was founded in March 2015 employs three developers. However, it has already proved that all one needs for creation of a quality product is knowledge, good ideas and enthusiasm, while big budget and publicity are not the main factors for success. The team has developed Let’s Twist mobile game that caught the attention of Apple and was featured as Editor’s Choice in 78 countries of the world on November 12.

A perspective multimedia laboratory was created two years ago at the Gyumri Information Technology Center (GITC) aiming to make the city an industrial multimedia hub. Using the accumulated knowledge and experience, the team founded their own startup Skyline Studio engaged in 3D and 2D animation, motion graphics and visual effects. Taking up one of the most innovative technology trends, they are not only working on projects but are also training staff for future enlargement of the company.

Founded ten years ago, Sourcio is an experienced technology company, versed in the broad areas of programming, new technologies and methodologies. Providing high quality innovative services to clients from Armenia, North and South Americas and Europe, Sourcio specializes in the development of web and mobile applications, as well as work with extensive volumes of data. Startup companies were given the opportunity to work within Sourcio, bringing their ideas to life. One of them has already developed and successfully promotes a useful and modern product, which enables the timely identification of vision problems and prevention of further complications.