# Hakob Sharabkhanyan

> Partner at Civitta and keynote speaker on applied AI, AI agents and data modernization. Ten years building travel and hospitality technology (GDS and aggregator integrations, booking platforms). Based in Yerevan, Armenia. Speaks in English and Russian.

Key facts:
- Role: Partner, Civitta (consulting and digital transformation, Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia).
- Founded HackTech at 19 (2015); grew it to 70 engineers with clients in 25+ countries; acquired by Civitta in 2025.
- Core thesis: data modernization is a precondition for meaningful AI deployment.
- Education: Stanford GSB LEAD (2024–2025), LEAD Intellectual Contribution Award; BA Applied Mathematics and Informatics, Russian-Armenian University.
- Speaking: Money20/20 Asia (Bangkok, 2025), BA & Beyond 2026 (Budapest, keynote), Hospitality Investment Forum (Yerevan), FinTech Day Armenia.
- Booking: speak@hakob.ai, or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hakobsharabkhanyan/

## Talks
- [Talks and abstracts](https://hakob.ai/#talks): Beyond the Hype (AI agents); Clean Data, Then AI (travel tech); Big-Brand Tech for Independent Hotels; Build or Buy in the Age of AI.
- [Speaking history](https://hakob.ai/#stages)

## Writing
- [Beyond the Hype: What AI Agents Can and Can't Do](https://hakob.ai/writing/beyond-the-hype/): AI agents are powerful inside clear boundaries; the companies that understand those boundaries earliest win. Original on [Medium](https://medium.com/@hakobsharabkhanyan/beyond-the-hype-what-ai-agents-can-and-cant-do-62c271074093).
- [AI in travel and hospitality: what actually works](https://hakob.ai/insights/ai-in-travel-and-hospitality/): data layer, where agents help and fail, independent hotels, AI agents as a booking channel.

## Bios for organizers
- [Short and long bio](https://hakob.ai/#about)

## Optional
- [Sessionize profile](https://sessionize.com/hakob-sharabkhanyan)
- [Money20/20 Asia talk video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GJ1O3pqnaA)