Paintthemusic

Meet the Entrepreneurs

Paint the Music November 2013

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Mobile Innovation

CONTACT INFORMATION

paint the music

Creating your own music through painting Narek Hayrapetyan, Armenia

CHALLENGE People all around the world love playing music and using it as a means to express themselves. Yet not everybody has access to formal musical education and the chance to learn how to play an instrument.

“I WANTED EVERYBODY TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THEIR OWN MUSIC.”

IDEA

Yerevan, Armenia

+374 95 53 35 37

narek.hayrapetyan@mlab.am /paintthemusicapp

BUSINESS MODEL The application developed by Narek and his colleagues is set up for people of all ages, with different backgrounds and musical tastes. Most importantly, Paint the Music helps children and teenagers to enhance their musical abilities from an early age on. The first version of the application – a free trial version for iOS for tablet and smartphone devices – was launched in October 2013.

The strategy is to attract as many users as possible with the first free version, who might then purchase additional features such as new instruments (cello, piano, violin, etc.), which are integrated into the second version. Paid advertisement will serve as a second channel to generate income.

Narek Hayrapetyan, together with a team of four people from the mLab in Armenia, came up with the idea of using painting as a tool to transform musical notes into visual art while preparing for the 2013 Microsoft Imagine Cup. Surrounded by mLab ECA’s entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, Narek and his team brainstormed until they came up with this challenging idea: what if we could paint the music? The team began to design a mobile application that allowed users to compose music simply by drawing with their fingers on the touch screen of a device. The prototype won the second prize at Armenian finals of the Imagine Cup. With the technical support and valuable mentoring from the mLab, they managed to transform the idea into an application a few months later, before the first version of Paint the Music was launched in October 2013. Currently, the team is adding more features to the application and is undertaking all efforts to have the second version ready by the first half of 2014.

“WHAT IF WE COULD PAINT THE MUSIC?”

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ENTREPRENEUR’S INSIGHTS • ACQUIRE SOFT SKILLS: Technical skills are not enough for succeeding in the mobile application world. A successful entrepreneur also needs to have a set of soft skills such as an entrepreneurship mindset or leadership.

NEXT STEPS Launch of the second version by the first half of 2014 Getting financial support through grant or venture capital Consolidating the team with the integration of new members

• EVALUATE YOUR IDEA: An entrepreneur must be capable of assessing first the value of a concept before putting in the necessary effort to convert it into a reality.

WORKING WITH mLab ECA • PAINT THE MUSIC WAS CREATED IN THE mLab IN ARMENIA by a team formed from within, and has since benefited from mentoring and technical support.

• THE mLab PROVIDES AN OPEN PLACE equipped with all necessary facilities, where the entrepreneurs can work at any time.

• DUE TO THE SUPPORT RECEIVED BY THE mLab, Paint the Music won the second prize at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Armenia.

• BELIEVE IN YOUR IDEA: The mLab plays an important role in Armenia, demonstrating that there are good human resources in the country and strong potential for success.

• PAINT THE MUSIC PARTICIPATED IN TWO INTERNATIONAL EVENTS supported by the mLab, and thereby gained privileged access to key stakeholders in the mobile innovation market (Armenia and South Africa).

KEY OUTCOMES VALUE FOR USERS Expected impacts on users from this app include: Increasing musical talent within society Expanding people’s creativity through a user-friendly app A great way to get kids involved in music from an early age Stimulating mobile applications usage through entertainment

BUSINESS FACTS The application won the prize at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Armenia and was presented at the Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship in South Africa as well as at the Digitech Business Forum in 2013 in Armenia.

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