PRESS RELEASE

Gateway to Europe: Armenia Emerges as a Next Innovation and Investment Hub

Yerevan, Armenia – September 20, 2025 – The Gateway to EU Congress, a flagship international event fostering cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange, concluded its two-day program in Yerevan, gathering over 40 leading European angel investors alongside Armenian startup founders, angel investors, venture capitalists, and policymakers.

Hosted at AI9, the congress was co-organized by BANA Angels, STAN (Science and Technology Angels Network), and AICA (Angel Investor Club of Armenia) in collaboration with EBAN – the European Business Angel Network.

Gateway to Europe is organised by EBAN, BANA Angels, Science & Technology Angels Network (STAN) and Angel Investor Club of Armenia (AICA) with support from the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, funded by the Government of Armenia, and the EU4Innovation East project, funded by the European Union, co-funded by the French Government and implemented by Expertise France, and UN Women Armenia

High-Level Opening & Keynotes

The event opened with welcome speeches from:

• Vassilis Maragos, EU Ambassador
• Gevorg Papoyan, Minister of Economy
• Julien Schmitt, Expertise France
• Jacopo Losso, Director, EBAN
• Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator
• Sona Veziryan, President, BANA

These remarks emphasized Armenia’s growing role as a bridge between European investors and regional innovation opportunities.

Event Highlights

• 40+ European angel investors participated from 15 countries
• 6 panel discussions and 3 round-table sessions on key topics:
  • Women Entrepreneurs Confronting Barriers and Creating Change
  • Connecting and Investing with the Diaspora
  • Fundraising from International Investors – Best Practices for Founders
  • Role of Angels in Supporting Portfolio Companies
  • Public-Private Co-Investment Fund Design
  • Best Practices for Startup Ecosystems
• Showcase of selected Armenian startups (Kartes Analytica, Qualia Therapeutics, CoinPlus, Caselens)
• Gala Dinner hosted at Megerian Carpet

Site Visits & Cultural Program

On the second day, international guests visited:

• TUMO Center for Creative Technologies – a global model for creative education
• ServiceTitan (NASDAQ: TTAN) – Armenia’s first Decacorn
• Garni Temple – highlighting Armenia’s rich cultural heritage

These visits showcased the strength of Armenia’s talent pipeline and tech ecosystem.

About Gateway to EU

Gateway to EU Congress featured distinguished speakers and panelists from the EBAN network, bringing insights, experience, and connections from across Europe’s innovation and investment landscape. Learn more at gatewaytoeurope-armenia.eu.