Ashot Arzumanyan: Unlocking the Potential of Pre-Seed Startups in AI, SaaS, IoT, and Biotech | Hamlet Azarian, Ashot Arzumanyan

Investing in the Impossible — Ashot Arzumanyan on Building Deep Tech from Armenia to the World
In this episode of the Growth Ventures Podcast, host Hamlet Azarian sits down with Ashot Arzumanyan, co-founder and partner at SmartGateVC, a pioneering early-stage venture fund focused on AI, deep tech, biotech, and science-driven innovation.

Ashot dives into what it takes to back breakthrough startups at the pre-seed stage—before there’s traction, product-market fit, or even revenue.

We unpack how SmartGateVC spots “superhero teams,” what Armenia’s unique position offers to global tech, and where the AI revolution is headed next. This is a must-listen for founders, early-stage investors, and anyone curious about deep tech ecosystems, exponential growth, and future-defining ideas.

What We Covered with Ashot

Backing the Earliest Signals

Ashot explains SmartGate’s model of investing before capital—helping founders validate their strategy, set milestones, and prove their learning speed. Execution and technology, he notes, don’t add—they multiply. If either is zero, the outcome is too.

What Makes a “Superhero Team”

The team is everything. SmartGate looks for founders with rapid learning velocity, urgency, and consistent forward motion—especially in deep tech domains like AI, biotech, and infrastructure. A great product idea is only the starting point.

Armenia as a Launchpad for Innovation

Ashot outlines why Armenia, with its U.S.-linked diaspora, strong engineering roots, and cost-effective R&D culture, is uniquely suited for building science-driven startups that go global from day one. With Hero House and the Armenian Startup Academy, SmartGate has built infrastructure to support this bridge.

Investing Before the Hype: AI Bets That Paid Off

Years before the current AI wave, SmartGate backed AI-first companies like Krisp (voice productivity), SuperAnnotate (computer vision tools), and NeuralSpace (machine translation quality). Their belief: AI would redefine productivity—and that future arrived faster than most expected.

The Next Wave: Narrow AI, Private Models, and Embedded Intelligence

Ashot sees the next big opportunity in verticalized AI: domain-specific models that fine-tune general LLMs for specialized use cases. He also believes enterprise-grade AI, local fine-tuning, and on-prem solutions will define the next generation of B2B AI tools.

Bridging the Science Gap

Despite the strong technical talent, Ashot notes Armenia still lacks deep scientific infrastructure. He advocates for more mid-layer science institutions, applied R&D initiatives, and collaboration between global academic and research entities and Armenian teams.

Key Timestamps

01:30 – What SmartGateVC looks for in pre-seed teams
04:30 – How they invest time before capital
09:00 – What “superhero teams” look like and how to identify them
12:00 – Early bets on Krisp, SuperAnnotate, and biosimAI
17:00 – The AI inflection point: where we are and what’s next
22:00 – Application layers vs infrastructure and model innovation
30:00 – Why Armenia is uniquely positioned to build global tech
34:00 – Hero House, Armenian Startup Academy, and ecosystem design
38:00 – Science and mid-layer R&D: the next frontier for Armenia
40:30 – Ashot’s vision for AI, brain-computer interfaces, and personalized agents

Final Thoughts

Ashot Arzumanyan’s approach to venture capital is rooted in deep conviction, ecosystem building, and a long-term vision of impact. He’s not chasing hype cycles—he’s helping founders build before the world catches on. His belief in Armenia as a high-leverage node in global innovation is matched by his practical efforts to bridge science, engineering, and business from Yerevan to California.

If you’re building at the edge—whether it’s biotech, AI, or next-gen computing—this episode will challenge how you think about market readiness, founder potential, and the power of small ecosystems with global ambition.

Connect with Ashot Arzumanyan

LinkedIn: Ashot Arzumanyan