WCIT 2019 Concludes Global IT Conference

The WCIT 2019 global conference on information technologies has concluded its work in Yerevan. It is considered one of the most prestigious events in the IT sector. The conference, which started on October 6, hosted representatives from over 70 countries.

Among the speakers were Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, WITSA President Ivonne Chiu, American security expert Richard Clarke, as well as Gary Vaynerchuk, the president of VaynerX and VaynerMedia, Alex Chung, the founder of GIPHY, TV star Kim Kardashian, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, rock musician Serj Tankian, Acer founder Stan Shih, and other esteemed experts in the IT field.

Additionally, Serj Tankian, Alexis Ohanian, Yervand Zoryan (President of Synopsys Armenia), and Minister of High Technology Industry Hakob Arshakyan announced the creation of the Highconnect pan-Armenian digital platform, which aims to unite all Armenians worldwide.

During the closing ceremony, for the first time in the 40-year history of the conference, standout startups were selected and awarded the "Armenian Tech Community Prize" from the newly formed Armenian IT committee. The winners, who claimed first and second places, received prizes of $25,000 and $10,000 respectively. The winning startups included:

• GeBe Cert - $10,000
• ForgeFiction - $25,000
• Virtlo - $10,000
• Embry Tech - $25,000
• Viciniti - $10,000
• Krisp - $25,000

In his closing remarks, James Poisant, Secretary General of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), expressed gratitude to all organizers of the event.

The opening of the conference was marked by an unprecedented concert, featuring musicians performing music composed by artificial intelligence for the first time in history. The concert also included a performance by Grammy-winning, world-renowned DJ Armin van Buuren.