Creative Spark is a British Council programme aimed at developing enterprise education. Mediamax will provide updates on the implementation of the programme in cooperation with the British Council.
Let’s imagine a common situation: rou are wearing a white shirt, because you have a business meeting in the afternoon. Five minutes before the meeting you decide to drink a cup of coffee, and accident strikes: the coffee spills and leaves a stain on your shirt.
You won’t have to think how to clean the stain or get a new shirt in five minutes if you are wearing smart clothes. With a few touches on your smartphone, you can change the color and patterns on your shirt and hide the coffee stain.
Perhaps, years ago this could seem like a script of a fantastic film, but if future entrepreneur Roza Abrahamyan manages to turn her idea into a startup, smart clothes made in Armenia could have a revolutionary impact on the country’s economy and enter into the global market.
Where did they make first steps towards creating a startup?
Expert in strategic management and marketing Roza Abrahamyan has been taking care of sales and marketing in Armenian and international companies for over six years, and finally she decided to start her own business.
Roza is involved in the Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs programme of the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), which is implemented in the scope of the British Council’s Creative Spark programme.
Roza AbrahamyanPhoto: Mediamax
“This programme will help me bring my idea to the final shape and present it properly in order to develop it and be successful in the future. My profession can help me put my idea in the right packaging, but startup environment is very different from the regular commercial market. There are peculiarities and details that I will learn at the Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs,” said Roza.
She believes the team is very important for the startup. “Yes, the idea is mine, but I am well-aware that my team is going to be very important and I expect that FAST, an organization with vast experience in this regard, can help me build the core of the team that will be developing my ideas,” she added.
How are future entrepreneurs networking?
According to Roza, the programme is a great platform for encouraging and promoting women who have ideas for a startup or just want to run a business. With the help of Creative Spark they can obtain the required knowledge and skills, develop their ideas.
“Sometimes women need encouragement to believe in themselves. I’ve met many smart people at the courses and I’m happy there are so many educated women in Armenia with great ideas. This is also a wonderful change for future entrepreneurs to network,” said Roza.
Roza AbrahamyanPhoto: Mediamax
The first links of the programme network are the FAST experts that work with the participants and can provide consultation to the newly-created startups in the future.
The next group is the future entrepreneurs, who might become business partners in the process. Sometimes the teams of future enterprises are born at this platform.
“When the programme concludes and I have my idea completely formed, I will pitch it to investors at FAST Startup Studio. It is possible I can raise funds in that way,” noted Roza.
Why smart clothing?
Roza’s idea combines clothing and technologies.
“We have seen “smart” being added to many products in recent years: smart wallet, smart watch, etc. The industry of smart clothes is still in development. Many large companies are trying their hand at it, because production of smart clothing is considered an industry of the future,” explained Roza.
Fabric-based OLEDs already exists. These textiles enable the wearer to change the color through a smartphone program.
The technology is still limited and underdeveloped. Perhaps, these fabrics will not feel so good to the touch in the initial stage of development.
“Nevertheless, the industry exists and it is growing. We need to figure out which niche to take,” said Roza.
Who are the potential buyers of smart clothes?
She brings up several sectors where her future products can be used: everyday life (people will be able to change their outfits without changing), sport (a smart kit can give instructions to the athlete, show how muscles are working, etc.), and healthcare (smart clothes could measure the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, weight, etc. through sensors or small devices).
Roza AbrahamyanPhoto: Mediamax
“I was suggested another sector as well during the courses: the military. Smart clothing can be very useful in defense. Currently I’m presenting the general idea, of course, we will need to specify the use and promotion of smart clothes by sector,” noted Roza.
“Even if the startup doesn’t work out, this programme is giving great experience, and I will make better plans in the future. In any case, the trainers are top experts and I believe I will be able to succeed with their help,” concluded the future entrepreneur.
Creative Spark is a five year initiative designed to support international university and institutional partnerships to develop enterprise skills and creative economy across seven countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) and Ukraine through UK support.
Due to the success of year one of the Creative Spark, the British Council announced it would fund a further 12 international partnerships. Each partnership will receive a maximum of GBP 40,000.
The applications for the grant will be accepted here from April 1 to May 12, 2019.
Marie Taryan
Photos: Emin Aristakesyan
The series about “Creative Spark” on Mediamax.am is supported by the British Council. 
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