Venture funds and investors from Armenia: who every startup should know

Venture Funds

Granatus Ventures
One of the largest venture funds in Armenia, founded in 2013. It primarily invests in technology startups at the Seed and Series A stages, including IT, FinTech, HealthTech, and SaaS. The fund actively participates in mentoring, helping companies scale, enter international markets, and develop strategic plans. 

Armenia Fund
A socially oriented fund that supports startups with high social and environmental impact. It focuses on projects in sustainable development, agtech, education, and healthcare. The fund provides early-stage capital, as well as strategic consulting, partnership assistance, and support for entering international markets. The Impact Armenia Fund collaborates with global organizations to attract investment and expertise for social projects.

SmartGateVC
SmartGateVC builds a portfolio of startups at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship, investing in companies from healthcare, biotechnology, SaaS, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and AI. Since its founding in 2017, the firm has invested in more than 40 startups, including SuperAnnotate, Deep Origin, Third Law Molecular, Britive, and ActiveLoop, many of which have attracted follow-on funding from NVIDIA, Dell, Y Combinator, and other leading investors.

Formula VC
A venture fund that helps talented and innovative teams at the early stages of startup development. The fund provides access to its extensive network of contacts and resources, supporting company growth and helping them become global leaders in their fields. It also actively collaborates with global investors, venture funds, and successful startup founders to create opportunities for joint growth and scaling of projects.

Investors

Igor Khalatian
An entrepreneur and venture investor with over 20 years of experience in IT and high technologies. Founder and CEO of Ideal Match Inc., which created innovative AI products, including IrisDating.com and BestLOOK.ai. Previously, Igor founded the startup LiveLOOK, which was acquired by Oracle, after which he served as Vice President of Business Development at Oracle. He also co-founded the STAN angel investor community, which unites investors from the Armenian diaspora to support technology startups worldwide.

Ashot Arzumanyan
A venture investor and partner at SmartGateVC. He co-founded the firm in 2017, investing in startups at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Physical AI, neurotechnology, and cybersecurity. He has led investments in more than 40 startups from leading global research centers, which have attracted funding from NVIDIA, Dell, and other investors.

Ambarzum Kahketsyan
A venture investor and co-founder of the SmartGateVC fund, which invests in early-stage startups in the US and Armenia. He launched innovation hubs in Yerevan and Los Angeles, invested in more than 25 startups, and shares his experience with entrepreneurs through webinars and educational programs. 

Alla Pavlova
A business development and strategic partnerships expert with many years of experience in finance, banking, e-commerce, and the fashion industry. Founder of the clothing brand Z.G.EST, advisor to CQ Impact Fund, and business advisor at C-QUADRAT Ampega Asset Management Armenia, where she handles strategy, marketing, product development, and market expansion. She actively supports projects in sustainable entrepreneurship, social impact, and promoting the Armenian fashion industry on the international stage.

Avag Simonyan
Co-founder and Managing Partner of Triple S Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in technology startups in the fields of AI, HealthTech, sustainable technologies, and enterprise software. At the same time, he is Co-Chair of STAN LA, supporting early-stage startups, and co-founder of the Seaside Startup Summit, an international platform for entrepreneurs and investors, as well as a board member of Startup Armenia, contributing to the development of the Armenian startup ecosystem.

Davit Baghdasaryan
An Armenian entrepreneur and engineer, co-founder and CEO of Krisp, a Voice AI startup. He previously worked at Twilio as Head of Product Security. He is an investor and co-founder of other projects, including DeepSat and BigStory VC. Under his leadership, Krisp develops AI technologies for calls and online meetings, serves more than 3,000 businesses, and collaborates with major video conferencing platforms.

Mikayel Grigoryan
An experienced businessman and investor from Yerevan with over 30 years of experience in various sectors, including logistics, finance, IT, telecom, manufacturing, and retail. He held executive positions in large companies such as ASBC Armenia / iSpace and HayPost, developed startups, consulted on strategy and investments, and actively participates in projects for digitalization and technology development in Armenia.

Manuk Hergnyan
Co-founder and Managing Partner of Granatus Ventures. An investor and mentor for early and mid-stage technology startups. He works with teams on growth strategy, fundraising, and corporate governance development. Manuk actively participates in creating acceleration programs and educational initiatives, promoting Armenian startups on the international stage.