The application deadline for the “Neruzh 5.0” program has been extended: a special event is coming up in September for the participants

Call for applications for "Neruzh" Program scheduled from September 24 to 29 in Dillijan is postponed for 2 weeks till July 15. The first ever acceleration program will kick off this year as a new component in "Neruzh".

The news was announced on June 28 at the press conference in media hall, "Armenpress" news agency, on the subject of "Neruzh 5.0" Diaspora Tech Startups Program. The speakers of the press conference were Mr. Ruben Simonyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of the RA, Mr. Hayk Yengibaryan, Head of the Ministry's Programs Department, and Mr. Rem Darbinyan, angel investor, mentor of the Program, Co-founder and CEO of SmartClick and Viral Mango companies.

Ruben Simonyan noted that "Neruzh" Program contains an exceptional message to our compatriots across the Diaspora. It calls for investing their experience and potential in the development prospects of Armenia's economy and ecosystem.

“The Program seeks to encourage professional repatriation. The Project budget is AMD 90 million. There are no sectoral restrictions, therefore the applicants are free to pitch any idea. The bottom line is to present innovative ideas. Our goal is to provide both financial and professional support to the applicants,” says Mr. Simonyan.

Hayk Yengibaryan provided details on the acceleration program as a new component in "Neruzh" introduced for the first time this year.

"We seek to engage an international organization to collaborate with the participants and to coach them to present their final presentations. We expect that the organization will work with the winners and go through the components in an month’s time and will help ensure their access to the market," said Hayk Yengibaryan.

Rem Darbinyan being a mentor in "Neruzh 2.0" and "Neruzh 3.0", emphasized that those who jointed "Neruzh" had no intention to move to Armenia; many of them arrived for the first time thanks to the Program.

Armenia's potential as a technological center was a major discovery for them. If earlier, any idea to launch a startup was drawn up only in Silicon Valley, Europe or other countries, so now with "Neruzh" they see solid grounds for returning to Armenia and creating a sustainable business here. As the organization grows and finds its success, it will also increase employment opportunities in Armenia," said Rem Darbinyan.