The 23rd World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2019) in Yerevan will host three sets of “Lightning Rounds,” open to all, showcasing flash-forward technologies from start-ups, big companies, universities, and more.

The Lightning Rounds will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists to present their ideas to international venture funds and world famous businessmen, in order to attract investments for their implementation. Fifteen ideas and startups will be selected by a jury of international specialists from submissions received from around the world. “We invite Armenian and foreign startups to register now on WCIT’s official website and submit their ideas,” UATE President Alexander Yesayan and Syuzanna Azoyan, program director of WCIT 2019, said at the meeting with Armenian and European journalists.

More than 2,500 participants from 70 countries are expected to attend WCIT 2019. The agenda will include discussion of the hottest topics in the industry. ICT industry leaders and innovators, government and global policy leaders, startups, and investors will exchange ideas in sessions such as “Black Swan,” “Innovation Meets Capital,” “Artificial Intelligence in Genomics,” “How ‘Green’ is Silicon,” “Rise of the Machines,” and many others.

WCIT 2019’s program will also feature a panel of ICT ministers from nations across the globe, who will discuss the challenges in moving toward greater delivery of and distribution of enhanced public services and their nations’ best practices in dealing with those challenges. Another panel will feature the mayors of “smart” cities from around the world, who will discuss the use of ICT in the municipal context and explore both its positive and negative impact on people’s daily lives.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia has declared ICT a strategic goal for economic development. Armenia actively promotes the development of high-tech innovations, ecosystems, and startups, and facilitates foreign direct investment in the ICT sector. There are more than 900 ICT companies in Armenia, including Picsart, Renderforest, Betconstruct, Joomag, and others. Forty-five percent of Armenia’s ICT-related exports go to the USA and Canada, 25% to Europe, and 11% to Asia.

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WCIT 2019 will be held in Yerevan on October 6-9, 2019. The Congress is hosted by Armenia with the support and under the high patronage of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) was established by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). Its main organizing body is the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE).

Public Relations Team