The activities of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Startup Pre-acceleration Program CUnicorn+, are actively ongoing!
The program is implemented under the U.S. Embassy’s Democracy CommissionSmall Grants Program and aims to develop participants’ entrepreneurial skills and innovative thinking, as well as to transform startup ideas into real businesses. Participants gradually learn the key components of building a startup and develop relevant competencies through practical exercises.
Week III Activities
During the third week, participants studied strategies for Customer Discovery & Validation, principles of conducting problem validation interviews, and techniques for Problem-Solution Fit analysis.
The session was led by Irakli Svanidze, Acting Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center and a visiting lecturer at Caucasus University.
As part of the week’s activities, participants also met with Valerian Gegidze, a successful entrepreneur and angel investor, who shared his entrepreneurial experience, investors’ perspectives, and strategic aspects of startup growth.
Valerian Gegidze is the CEO of Gegidze, a company combining business consulting, digital transformation, and venture investment. He is also an angel investor with numerous investments in Georgian and international startups.
Week IV Activities
The fourth week focused on Business Model & Revenue Streams, aiming to provide participants with practical approaches for designing a business model and planning revenue structures.
The session was led by Sandro Kandelaki, co-founder and CEO of Student Hunt.
During the week, a special session was held with guest speaker Giorgi Chugoshvili, co-founder of Amadeo, Retain, and Phubber App. He shared practical experience from three different startups, discussing their business models, revenue structures, and growth strategies.
Week V Activities
The fifth week was dedicated to Startup Team Development, aiming to familiarize participants with strategies for effective team management, motivation, and growth.
During the sessions, participants worked on topics such as team member roles and skills, Team Performance & KPIs, and Peak Performance.
The mentor for Week V was Giorgi Razmadze, co-founder and CEO of Awork and a Caucasus University alumnus.
Additionally, a session was held with guest speaker Davit Tsitskishvili, entrepreneur and angel investor, who shared practical insights on team dynamics, performance, and the process of attracting investment.
Week VI Activities
The sixth week focused on Design Thinking & Prototyping. The sessions aimed to provide participants with both theoretical and practical knowledge on product design, prototyping, and the use of digital tools, which are crucial for market testing and collecting customer feedback.
The mentor for Week VI was Iako Jikia, co-founder and CEO of Helio.ai, who shared his experience in prototyping innovative ideas and creating effective digital communication.
The guest speaker was Shota Giorgobiani, co-founder and CEO of Optio, who discussed product development, technological solutions, and practical aspects of digital startup development.
The program combines theoretical sessions with practical assignments, allowing participants to develop their business ideas in a real environment and design strategies for future growth.
“This project was funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.”
