Suren Mkhitaryan is not a typical entrepreneur. As the co-founder and current president of the CODE Social Entrepreneurship HUB (CODE-SE HUB) in Armenia, he’s built his career around an ambitious goal: proving that business can be both profitable and socially impactful. His journey in social entrepreneurship began in 2015 when he helped to launch CODE-SE as a major pilot project dedicated to promoting social entrepreneurship in Armenia (co-funded by the European Union).
Recently, Suren joined 24 young changemakers from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine for the ‘Spring school for young trainers and entrepreneurs’, an intensive four-day exchange on digital transformation and the green economy.
Organised by EcoVisio at EcoVillage Moldova under the EU4Youth programme, the Spring School focused on practical and sustainable solutions for local communities.
Motivation is key to creating an impact
Suren’s motivation stems from a deep personal transformation – from being a struggling student to one of the top pupils in his university through self-development and continuous learning. After exploring various fields of study such as the public sector, non-profit sector, international organisations, and business, he found that social entrepreneurship was the perfect balance between making a profit and having a social impact. His driving force is helping people reach their potential, not through charity, but by empowering them to help themselves through sustainable solutions such as training and online courses benefiting over 5,000 people so far. “Besides this,” he adds, “we directly supported over 30 social enterprises, but indirectly there are many more, because besides founding and supporting them, we are offering mentorship, consultancy, having an impact on the ecosystem in general. We were one of the pioneers, and we’re still one of the most active in the field.”
The vision for a better future
The main strategy they started from was to support small, community-based social enterprises that solve issues in the community through social entrepreneurship. Looking ahead, the CODE-SE HUB is looking merge start-up innovation with social enterprise values – scalable, profitable, and capable of driving systemic change. This approach emphasises sustainability, innovation, and impact on a larger scale, beyond just local solutions.
‘’Our vision for the future is to develop a new model for social entrepreneurship and, somehow, not to change it, but rather to add another model. To connect the model of start-ups to social enterprises, because start-ups are more innovative, they are scalable and, if they succeed, they are highly profitable.” At the same time, he adds, “we want to continue what we are doing now, going to the schools, the colleges, universities, to young people, to community members.”
Personal journey and insights on inspiring young people
His journey was not linear. Suren moved across various fields to discover his true calling. What set him apart was not just talent, but a hunger to learn and grow. From volunteering to CEO in one year, his story reflects the power of curiosity, mentorship, and adaptability. Over time, he evolved from an entrepreneur to a system thinker and ecosystem builder, creating a network of NGOs, businesses, incubators, and funding partners that work together towards shared goals.
“For me, it has always been the concept of what I wanted to do: to earn money by supporting others. You can earn a lot of money and feel good about this, because you support a lot of people. So, this was a major concept that I had when I was a child, and social entrepreneurship is the model supporting this idea,” Suren said.
His main message to young people is to see their own potential and try to become the best version of themselves – not by comparing themselves with others, but by overcoming their reticence, their fears, and the challenges they face. This is a meaningful and powerful way both to make an impact and thrive financially.
The Spring School in Moldova was supported through the ‘EU4Youth Phase III: Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship programme’, under the ChildFund project ‘Promoting youth social entrepreneurship and practical career management skills in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia through the innovative approach of Student Social Companies (SSCs)’.
EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship’ is funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, and implemented by the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) in the Eastern Partnership countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The programme will run until mid-2025, and aims to provide technical assistance to governmental and non-governmental organisations to tackle youth unemployment and improve employability.