Interview with Ricardo Bergmann from EGS and Balcony Dilijan
Hello everyone, hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Continuing with our interview series, this week I had the chance to interview Ricardo Bergmann who is a business analyst at Energize Global Services, a large payment processor. He also is the co-founder of Balcony Dilijan, the first co-working and co-living space in Dilijan.
After spending one year in Armenia in 2015-2016, Ricardo was enamored by the country and its people and eventually decided to move full-time in 2019. Ricardo has been very involved in the Armenian tech community as a mentor, advisor, investor, and more.
My interview with Ricardo below…
HC: Thank you for taking the time Ricardo. Hope you are doing well. Maybe we could start with a brief overview of your background.
RB: Of course, great to be here. I'm a sociologist (BA) and economist (MA) focusing on the economies of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space. My career as an entrepreneur and in the IT industry started in 2020 - one year after moving to Armenia. Currently I work for a Yerevan-based IT company as a product owner in the financial industry.
HC: That’s fascinating. Why did you move to Armenia? And are you Armenian by ethnicity or by choice :)?
RB: I am Armenian by choice :). I had spent one year in Armenia as a volunteer from 2015 to 2016. After that, I would come every year for a project or even just a short visit. In 2019, I decided not to live in Germany for some period. When having the choice between Russia, Ukraine, and Armenia, I chose Armenia in the end due to a myriad of reasons. Also, I had the desire to see with my own eyes the impacts and changes of the 2018 revolution.
HC: Seems like you made the right choice in hindsight as well! So why did you choose Dilijan as your home base? How did you hear about this region of the country?
RB: I spent my voluntary service in Dilijan. That's why back then in 2019 I had most connections in that small resort town. Later I would move several times between Dilijan and Yerevan. In the end, my wife and I decided to buy a house in Dilijan because we prefer the quiet life of a small town over the dusty and noisy Yerevan. We had also checked other small towns and villages in Armenia. But most of them lag behind Dilijan in terms of development and infrastructure.
HC: I was just there a few weeks ago and experienced the allure, amazing area of Armenia. Maybe talk a little about Balcony. What was rationale?
RB: Back in 2021 I was working as a freelancer and it was not convenient to work every day from home or some café. From my perspective, Dilijan needed a place where IT workers from Yerevan and freelancers can enjoy the nature and idyllic landscape of Dilijan while sharing a workspace.
As I couldn't find such a place in Dilijan, a good friend of mine and I decided to open a co-working space ourselves and name it Balcony Dilijan. The first year wasn't really impressive (now I recognize all the mistakes we did back then as business owners) but one year later my wife and I decided to reopen the space again. However, it happened that we adopted two street dogs who quickly occupied our balcony and required our full attention next to our full-time jobs. Today Balcony Dilijan is not operating but the idea is still alive :)
HC: I’m sure it will be back. How would you describe the health of Armenia’s tech ecosystem? What excited you the most?
RB: The Armenian tech ecosystem is very dynamic. And this is in my opinion a direct consequence of the 2018 revolution. People in Armenia are allowed to work on their ideas without any restrictions and try to bring their business projects to the market without any interferences from higher powers or the government. The IT industry gives huge opportunities to the Armenian population to earn money.
The IT industry has also tremendous potential to revive the Armenian regions as IT workers are often times not dependent on a specific location. However, this can only be achieved with large private and state investments into the social and technical infrastructure of the regions. One fact which really excited me was how creatively people in Armenia work on solutions. While in Germany you will find a problem for every solution, in Armenia solutions can be sometimes surprisingly easy and straightforward.
HC: Makes sense. Where can it improve? What is lacking in the ecosystem? How about specifically in the cities outside of Yerevan?
RB: Armenians have already improved their knowledge in foreign languages like English compared to let's say one decade ago. That's a huge achievement as it allows the IT industry to diversify its target markets. The IT industry should try more to deliver not only to 2-3 main markets but to operate on every continent. This would reduce the risk of dependency to a few markets which exists right now. That means that we need more specialists who understand the market demands across the globe. On another aspect, there are certain companies like Digital Pomegranate and Instigate that did an incredible job by investing into cities like Gyumri and Ijevan. We need more visionary companies that are brave and willing to invest in the branches in the Armenian regions.
HC: What advice do you have for aspiring and current Armenian entrepreneurs?
RB: Become part of the thriving community of entrepreneurs and visionaries in Armenia. There are plenty of people who will inspire and support you on your journey.
HC: Insightful. For those who are interested in getting involved in the ecosystem, what do you recommend they do?
RB: There are many different ways to get involved. One can visit some of the many events about entrepreneurship and business (or any other topic that you're genuinely interested in) and network. Also on LinkedIn there is a large Armenian community whom are very interested in professional exchange and growth. Feel free to reach out directly to people who are working in your business field.
HC: Anything else you’d like to touch on?
RB: Armenia is a great place to start your business and try out any idea you have! Just one piece of advice from my side - when starting a business, be sure not to be financially dependent on that business in the first months or years (depending on the business).
HC: Understood. Thank you Ricardo this was great… How can people get in touch with you if they are interested in learning more?
RB: No problem, as great to talk. Feel free to connect to me on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-bergmann
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