EWC Armenia 2022’s National Winner HOPSHOP Advances to Entrepreneurship World Cup Global Finals

One of EWC Armenia 2022’s two National Winners is among 100 impressive startups selected to compete for a share of S$1 million at the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) Global Finals, organizers announced today. The finals are set to take place March 9-12 at Biban 2023, the largest event for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium-sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia. 

The startup which will represent Armenia is HOPSHOP. It was one of the two National Winners of the EWC Armenia 2022 competition in Yerevan on August 13, 2022.

The Entrepreneurship World Cup, co-hosted by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority in Saudi Arabia, Monsha’at, is one of the largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs for up-and-coming founders. Every year, entrepreneurs compete for a share of $1 million in cash prizes and millions more worth of investment, support, and publicity.  

Since 2021, the national competition of EWC in Armenia has been organized by the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA) in collaboration with a few public and private organizations of the national ecosystem.

“We are overjoyed that for the second consecutive year, Armenia has its representative startup in EWC Global Finals,” said Nejdeh Hovanessian, the Assistant Director of EPIC and the National Coordinator of EWC in Armenia. “Now we eagerly look forward to hearing about HOPSHOP’s achievements in the final stage of the competition in Riyadh.”

Since launching in 2019, EWC has attracted over 400,000 registrations from 200 countries and connected founders with over $3 million in cash prizes and another $256 million worth of perks and free support and services.

The 100 finalists, known collectively as the EWC 100, were selected after succeeding in qualifier competitions and activities worldwide. The top performing 250 companies were invited to participate in a three-day bootcamp, with 100 selected to pitch at the Global Finals.

“These companies and their founders have wowed us at every stage of the competition,” said Jonathan Ortmans, the Global Entrepreneurship Network President. “They are on course to change lives with innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”

The EWC 100 are based in Africa (6), Asia (17), Europe (28), the Middle East (12), North America (14), Oceania (2), South America (20), and the Caribbean (1).

While in Riyadh, the EWC 100 will experience Saudi Arabia’s emerging startup scene. In recent years, the ecosystem has seen transformational growth, reporting record highs in venture capital investments in 2020, 2021, and 2022. 

In addition to competing for the grand $300,000 prize, startups will also vie in specialized categories based on sector (including tech and space and sustainability and environment) and impact (including social impact, sustainable development goals, and women-led companies).

All 100 global finalists will receive $100,000 in in-kind services from partners such as AWS, Freshworks, Google Cloud, Hubspot, Stripe, Zoom, and more.

The Entrepreneurship World Cup is made possible with support from a collection of national and global partners, including One Valley, The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF), the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, and Startup Genome. The Misk Foundation is a founding partner. The EWC Armenia 2022 competition was sponsored by Service Titan, GIZ Armenia/EU4Business, Team Telecom Armenia and Center for the Promotion of Economic Education and Research (CPEER).

For interviews and further inquiries, please contact: 

Nejdeh Hovanessian

EWC Armenia National Coordinator, Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC), American University of Armenia (AUA)

[email protected]

About HOPSHOP

HOPSHOP is Shazam for fashion. It's an AI-based visual search application that simplifies the process of finding and buying clothing items, shoes, and accessories. With its innovative technology, users can take a photo of an item or upload an existing photo, and the app will identify similar items and provide purchasing options. The Startup's goal is to provide a convenient and efficient shopping experience for our customers. To learn more, visit www.hopshop.ai.

About the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC)

The Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) is a platform of the American University of Armenia (AUA) for promoting entrepreneurial education, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and startup venture incubation. EPIC provides an ecosystem for emerging entrepreneurs consisting of first-class facilities and collaborative workspace, programs and events, and a network of mentors, advisors, and investors. EPIC fosters the understanding and application of entrepreneurship in students and faculty at AUA to craft high-impact multidisciplinary ventures. To learn more, visit www.epic.aua.am.

About the Entrepreneurship World Cup

The Entrepreneurship World Cup is one of the largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs of its kind. Every year, tens of thousands of entrepreneurs from 200 countries compete for US$1 million dollars in cash prizes and millions more worth of investment, support and publicity through national pitch competitions, bootcamps and a global finals event attended by leading investors. However, the Entrepreneurship World Cup is more than just a pitch competition. Co-hosted by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and Monsha’at with support from more than 100 partners world-wide, the competition connects applicants at all levels – from idea stage to scale-up – with world-class training, resources and mentorship to enhance their skills and take their ventures to the next level, regardless of whether or not they top the podium. To learn more, visit www.entrepreneurshipworldcup.com.