Artem Harutyunyan: The Curious Engineer’s AI Solutions

From a childhood surrounded by early PCs in Armenia to co-founding a cutting-edge AI startup in Silicon Valley — Artem Hartunian’s story is one of deep curiosity, resilience, and visionary execution.

In today’s episode of the [A] Growth Ventures Podcast, Hamlet Azarian sits down with Artem Hartunian, Co-founder and CTO of Bardeen AI, to explore the pivotal moments that shaped his journey — from growing up during Armenia’s post-Soviet transformation, to solving world-class problems at CERN, to building an AI automation platform backed by Dropbox Ventures and HPOT Ventures.

What We Explored with Artem Hartunian

Early Foundations: A Spark Lit by Curiosity

Artem shares how tinkering with his father’s AutoCAD machine in the late 1980s ignited his passion for computers, teaching him hard-earned lessons (like accidentally wiping a hard drive at age 5!) that shaped his deep respect for technology.

Building Mastery: Lessons from Academia and CERN

Discover how Artem’s relentless drive to find harder problems led him from Armenia’s elite technical universities to CERN’s world-renowned research labs — and how the experience instilled in him the mindset that no system is beyond understanding.

Career in Silicon Valley: Seeking Growth Through Challenge

From Qualys to Mesosphere, Artem discusses why he always sought environments where he could be uncomfortable and learn faster — and how candor and alignment with leadership became non-negotiable factors in his career decisions.

The Birth of Bardeen AI: From Personal Frustration to Global Opportunity

What began as a “Mini-Me” script to automate his managerial tasks evolved into the founding vision of Bardeen — a platform built to eliminate busywork for knowledge workers everywhere.

Navigating COVID and Remote-First Growth

Launching a startup in early 2020 presented unique challenges. Artem shares how remote work shaped Bardeen’s culture, early hiring across Europe, and how deep networks made building a distributed team possible.

Where AI is Headed Next: A CTO’s Candid Predictions

We dive into why the real breakthroughs in AI over the next two years won’t just be new capabilities — but the maturing and operationalizing of the incredible demos we’ve seen, making AI truly actionable for businesses at scale.

Key Takeaways

2:25 – Engineering Background

8:00 – Academy Life Lessons

13:10 – CERN Internship

18:45 – Problem Solving Formula

24:17 – CERN Job Offer

32:05 – Experience at Qualis 

39:50 – Values to Look for 

43:50 – Bardeen Inspiration

53:37 – Bardeen Mission

1:07:30 – Artems’s Predictions on AI

Final Thoughts

Artem’s journey is a powerful reminder that extraordinary outcomes come from combining deep technical mastery with fearless curiosity.
His story offers actionable lessons for engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders who want to push boundaries — and a glimpse into the future of how AI will reshape work itself.

Connect with Artem on LinkedIn or visit Bardeen.ai to see how automation is being reimagined for the modern knowledge worker.