Silicon Mountains 2026 Opens in Yerevan Under the Theme “Investing in Innovation”

Yerevan, November 3, 2026 — The two-day Silicon Mountains Summit & Expo 2026 opened in Yerevan today under the theme “Investing in Innovation.” Organized since 2019 by the Union of Employers of ICT (UEICT), the event this year brings together an international summit and a technology exhibition for the first time, with the support of Armenia’s Ministry of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence.

Opening ceremony

Opening the event, Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence Davit Tadevosyan said that for years the platform has united innovators, investors and champions of the sector — many of whom are now among the summit’s organizers. The distance the industry has travelled over the past three decades, he noted, is hard to miss. The minister stressed the importance of investing in people and their abilities, and in an environment where ideas can be carried from concept all the way to results.

UEICT President Armen Baldryan outlined the five pillars of the country’s technological development: education, startups, investment, public–private partnership and international cooperation — all of which, he said, are reflected in this year’s agenda. In his view, close cooperation between the state and the private sector should deliver serious results within the next two to three years.

After the opening ceremony, guests toured the Expo area.

“Investment” in the broadest sense

Opening the summit, UEICT Executive Director Eduard Musayelyan defined investment broadly — not only as capital, but as a new laboratory, an educational program, the transfer of experience, a first order given to a young team, or a door opened to international partnership. He reminded the audience that since 2024 Silicon Mountains has also been held in Armenia’s regions, based on the belief that a young person’s opportunities should not be determined by their home address. Musayelyan announced that the next regional event will take place in Tavush Province, and closed his speech with these words:

“To have a share in tomorrow’s success, you have to be ready to share its risk today.”

A special postcard cancellation

By tradition, every Silicon Mountains summit features a special postal cancellation ceremony, and 2026 was no exception. A double-sided postcard dedicated to the Silicon Mountains 2026 Tech Summit & Expo was cancelled with a special postmark. The front reads “Silicon Mountains 2026” and “Tech Summit & Expo” in Armenian and English, while the back features a photo from the 2025 summit.

The ceremony was attended by Hovik Musayelyan, President of the Armenian Philatelic Association; Gevorg Mantashyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence; Shushan Aleksanyan, CEO of HayPost; Eduard Musayelyan of UEICT; and Ralph Yirikian, CEO of Ucom. Hovik Musayelyan noted that the postcards carry real philatelic value, as they will end up in collections around the world, and called Silicon Mountains Armenia’s most important technology platform of recent years. Gevorg Mantashyan added that the postcard will travel to different corners of the world as a reminder of this memorable day.

The postcard was designed by Davit Dovlatyan and printed by Ktav LLC in a limited run of 500 copies (150 × 110 mm), issued on November 3, 2026. It will not be reprinted and can be sent to any country from any HayPost branch.

What’s next: November 4

The event continues on November 4 with the International Microelectronics Forum, featuring speakers from Armenia and abroad. Visitors will also be able to explore startups at the Expo, as well as UEICT member companies and universities offering technology education. Two panel discussions are scheduled:

• Women Leaders Club — “Leadership Without Borders: Lessons from Tech, Government and Diplomacy” (15:20–16:40). Speakers: Mariam Torosyan (Founder & CEO, Safe YOU), Ani Safaryan (Head of Microchip Technology Armenia), Gohar Abajyan (Executive Director, Enterprise Armenia), Deputy Minister Tatev Aslanyan, Canadian Ambassador Julie Crowley and Swiss Ambassador Andrea Barbara Baumann. Moderator: Luiza Ayvazyan (Head of CIPE Armenia).
• “After AI: What Are Investors Actually Paying For?” (16:40–18:00). Investors, founders and government representatives discuss what investors really pay for in the age of AI. Speakers: Rem Darbinyan (SmartClick AI), Astghik Zakaryan (SIA Angel Hub), Ruben Osipyan (Science & Technology Angel Network), Deputy Minister Tatev Aslanyan, Sona Grigoryan (Plug and Play Armenia) and Leo Derikyants (Mind Simulation Lab). Moderator: Artur Karapetyan (Text’nPayMe, UEICT Board member).

Partners

The event’s Platinum sponsor is Ucom. Bronze partners are Visa, Synopsys, Tech Park Yerevan, EU for Innovation East, Cognaize and Yandex Armenia.

Silicon Mountains is Armenia’s leading technology platform, organized since 2019 by the Union of Employers of ICT (UEICT). Over the years it has hosted more than 100 speakers and over 10,000 participants; this year’s edition is the 11th. More information: silicon-mountains.org.

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