The Special Edition of Impact NightOut event took place at Motor Yerevan on 17  October  hosted by UNDP ImpactAIM and Foundation for Armenian Science & Technology (FAST) in the frames of Global Innovation Forum 2019: Transforming Intelligence.

Impact NightOut event series are designed to become a community for impact enthusiasts, innovation and science evangelists, startups and technology makers, giving them an opportunity to share the latest developments of the field at international and national levels.

The Special Edition of Impact Night Out introduced opening keynotes from UNDP Resident Representative Dmitry Mariyasin and FAST founding director Armen Orujyan, as well as special remarks from Werner Liepach, Director General, Central and West Regional Department, ADB, followed by a fireside chat discussion on the topic of “Leveraging Technology for GOOD”. Highlighting key trends, the conversation focused on the role of tech accelerators in reshaping the concept of sustainable development and on various innovative financing mechanisms aimed at mobilizing additional capital for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) acceleration.

Event attendees had the opportunity to get the real feel of alternative Armenia in the special village zone, where cultural and IT ecosystem representatives featured their projects, showcasing real time examples of tech driven initiatives that are on the right way on making impact through innovative solutions.

The official event was followed by networking, drinks, snacks and music with invited artists, bands and DJs.

Impact Night Out vol. 2 was an exceptional opportunity for networking with more than 400 GIF guests from 19 countries, presenting Google Brain, Microsoft, Silicon Valley companies and many more.

The Global Innovation Forum (GIF) acts as an important platform to bridge academia, industry, governments, policymakers, international organizations and financial institutions assembling the brightest minds and executives from diverse worlds to shape the future of scientific and technological transformation. The event will take place on 16-18 October 2019 in Yerevan, Armenia.

Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) strives to build an ecosystem that drives technological innovation and scientific advancement in Armenia and beyond. FAST deploys its insight, access, and resources to help throttle a functioning science and technology ecosystem on national and international levels. With a focus on entrepreneurial endeavors, FAST empowers innovators to bring cutting-edge, commercially viable and globally competitive solutions to life.

ImpactAim Accelerator is an independent platform designed by UNDP Armenia bringing together the Government, the private sector and development agencies to exit innovative tech solutions and startups targeting the development of a specific sector (agriculture, climate, govtech, etc.) and having a sustainable business model that can be further scale. We see this as an important step in creating a new culture in Armenia and worldwide, where the private sector expertise and technology will be leveraged to achieve the global goals.