As part of the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program (DemCom), Caucasus University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center will implement a ten-week intensive pre-acceleration program designed for up to 50 participants and their tech startups from across the country.

Project Goals:

1. Strengthening Local Startups - Support local startups by providing learning resources, training, and individual mentoring to help them overcome initial challenges and achieve rapid growth.
2. Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem by fostering and developing innovative business ideas.
3. Building a Robust Startup Network - Facilitate strong connections between startups, investors, mentors, and other ecosystem participants through events, mentorship programs, and Demo Day.
4. Developing International Collaboration - Partner with institutions like George Washington University to share global best practices, knowledge, and entrepreneurial expertise.

Startups will be selected for the program through a pre-application and interview process. Priority will be given to startups with a prototype/(MVP) and early adopters.

The program features intensive training, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring sessions led by active local and international representatives from the startup ecosystem.

This initiative is a joint effort between Caucasus University and George Washington University. Representatives from George Washington University’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship will be actively involved in developing training materials and mentoring participants throughout the program.

Program Overview

The program spans 10 working weeks in a hybrid format (online and in-person) and includes five core components:

1. Thematic Working Sessions
2. Individual Mentorship Meetings
3. Networking Opportunities [ Peer-to-peer meetings, experience-sharing sessions, guest speakers, and weekly stand-up ]
4. Access to Shared Workspaces [ Participants may use Caucasus University’s coworking space upon request ]
5. Demo Day

Demo Day serves as the program's culmination, where participants present their startup ideas to a jury, investors, and startup ecosystem representatives.

The purpose of the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program is to award grants for specific projects that support democracy, enhance the development of free media, civil society, and foster economic growth through education advocacy.

“This project was funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State”.