The prestigious American magazine Forbes published an extensive article about Armenia, drawing attention to the rapid development of the country's technological sector.
Armenia shot from relative obscurity to global prominence recently over tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan. But there is another reason to pay attention to this rugged, mountainous country: its fast evolving tech sector.
It has emerged as a tech powerhouse with the presence of global players and a vibrant startup ecosystem. And while the country remains politically close to Russia and Iran as a counterbalance to hostile neighbors on the west (Turkey) and the east (Azerbaijan), its private sector remains firmly fixed on the West, particularly the United States with its near million-strong Armenian diaspora.
“We consider ourselves a network nation,” said Rem Darbinyan, founder of a startup called Viral Mango, which matches brands to influencers around the world. “We have generations of Armenians living overseas.”
People like Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of biotechnology powerhouse Moderna, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Avie Tevanian, former CTO of Apple and creator of the macOS operating system, have all remained connected to the country.
In October, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen was in the vibrant capital Yereven to speak at the country’s Silicon Mountains conference and open a new Adobe building. Across town, dozens of startups displayed their innovations at the annual Digitec expo. Already, the small, landlocked country has produced one unicorn (Picsart) with more on the way.
With the snowcapped summit of distant Mount Ararat – the Armenian national symbol that rises across the border in Turkey - visible on clear days, Yerevan is filled with sophisticated restaurants crowded with tables of young tech entrepreneurs drinking apricot brandy and eating platters of stuffed grape leaves as they discuss the latest innovations.
Various indexes show Armenia as the emerging tech powerhouse of the Southern Caucasus region, a legacy of its role as one of the Soviet Union’s top technology centers - the USSR’s first general-purpose computers were developed there in the early 1960s.
That history faltered during the breakup of the Union and the subsequent war with Azerbaijan to define Armenia’s national borders – a conflict that continues to reverberate today. But, Armenia recovered and has drawn on the success of its diaspora in the United States to become one of the strongest economies in the region.
Following its independence in 1991, Armenia began developing as a behind-the-scenes builder of software for Western companies, many founded by Armenians. But gradually, it has climbed the value chain to produce products of its own.
