On September 9, in Batumi, Georgia, within the framework of the European Innovation Academy (EIA) "Innovation and Leadership Bootcamp", the last, fifth consecutive meeting was held, which hosted students from different countries for 5 days.
Within the framework of the EIA program, Georgian students had a unique opportunity to work with intercultural teams of students from different countries and gain knowledge and experience that will further help them transform their ideas into successful startups.
About a hundred students took part in the program this year, of which 22 were students of Caucasus University.
The training program was led by the head of the faculty of UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, as well as the heads of various leading organizations of Silicon Valley.
The European Innovation Academy was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, Georgia's Agency of Innovations and Technologies, USAID Economic Security Program and other private organizations. The program was held in Georgia in partnership with Caucasus University, the US Market Access Center (USMAC) and Startup Connect.
This program is planned to be held next year as well and in the summer of 2023, EIA will launch its full, multi-week program for three hundred (300) students from Georgia, Europe, and Central Asia. The 2023 program will include faculty from UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Google, Facebook, nVidia as well as numerous "angel investors" and venture capitalists from Silicon Valley and Europe. In subsequent years, EIA plans to increase the number of students to five hundred (500) per summer.
The EIA program will accelerate the development of an innovative ecosystem in Georgia, the formation of a knowledge-based economy, and the development of systematic training and practical entrepreneurial education to strengthen the next generation of entrepreneurs. The EIA program will contribute to raising the awareness of the entrepreneurial and investment potential of Georgia in general and of Batumi with leading international business companies and leaders with the aim of attracting investment in Georgia.
