iGaming 2021: Taking the Next Step with Technamin, Suren Khachatryan, CEO of Technamin

Now, in 2021 he has drawn upon his expert network and wealth of industry experience to spawn Technamin, iGaming’s latest forward-thinking, intuitive platform. We caught up with Suren to hear more about his latest venture and how he plans to grow with his partners going forward.

Suren, you’re a well-known person in the iGaming industry now. But remind us a little bit about your background and your new venture Technamin?

“My background actually stretches beyond iGaming. Before joining the industry, I was engaged in the sales of consumer electronics at one of the biggest companies in my region. The next shift in my career brought me closer to gaming, when I began to coordinate international expo participation in an Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) for local tourism companies. I didn’t know it at the time, but my experience in sales and B2B expos would come in very handy later on in my career. In fact, my first visit to ExCeL London was to participate in the World Tourism Market expo.

“Tourism is directly linked to entertainment, and entertainment is one of the foundation stones of the gaming industry. Add the experience of organising expos on top of that, and it all gels together. In 2005, when in Moscow, just out of sheer happenstance, I became involved in the sales of console games, which sparked my interest in games and the gaming experience.

“Everything took off from there and I realised that this was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my professional career. I was particularly interested in online gaming, as I felt that this would be a growing industry in the future. Remember, this was in 2005, and World of Warcraft had been released. Its surge in popularity marked a shift from isolated console games to network games, and I could clearly envision what we have today in the iGaming industry.

“The next significant step I took was involvement in a B2B startup in Armenia in 2011. I helped them switch from a start-up to international recognition. In 2015, I went through the same process with another B2B start-up, again in Armenia. I was with them from their first steps all the way to their industry-wide acclaim. Both of these companies were established B2C operators in Armenia before I joined them, and are now successful brands operating with a global outreach.

“I was part of great teams in both cases and contributed to various aspects of business, from setting up international offices, compliance, licencing, in some cases acting as a key individual, and at the same time managed not to miss any important tradeshows and conferences. I was also involved in striking deals and forming partnerships with a number of tier-one operators, who are leaders in the markets where the companies operate. Then there came a time for another shift and a particular light bulb moment during the pandemic.

“I asked myself what can we do to be the ultimate provider in the iGaming industry? That spark led to a lot of brainstorming, sleepless nights, trial and error and finally, it was clear: Technamin was born. I had my core team of experienced professionals, and we began our journey together. This proved to be a bigger challenge since we were starting from ground zero, whereas the previous companies were spinoffs of established B2C infrastructures. Nevertheless, we kept pushing and here we are.”

Let’s be honest, operators are not short of options when it comes to platform providers. What makes Technamin different?

“One thing that sets us apart is the fact the team that drives Technamin has been down this road before with previous start-ups in which we were involved. That ensures we won’t repeat old mistakes. We know how to get the products working without delays. As our name suggests, we are very tech-driven and always use the latest, state-of-the-art technology to create stable products and offer streamlined services.

“A proof of this is Technamin’s fully cloud-based setup and microservice architecture. Downtime during product releases? Never heard of it! The custom front-end solutions we provide are executed at lightning speed.

“While our goal is to cater to a high level of clientele, as a start-up we are still young which makes us very customer-focused.  At the moment, we prefer the quality of our clients rather than the quantity and we are focused on helping them grow alongside us.”

What markets are you currently active in and what are the company’s target areas in the next few months?

“We now have our Curacao licence in place, which means that the basics of compliance are complete at Technamin, and we will uphold them as we expand. We are in the process of acquiring GLI-19 certification and we are expanding our regulated market strategy into continental Europe and African countries.

“As we get closer to the GLI-19 certification, we will be looking at jurisdictions that we can enter with it. This is definitely on our roadmap in the coming months.”

What challenges are operators facing when they talk to you about the current state of the industry?

“There are a number of common challenges that we see, and luckily we have the solution to all of them. For example, many operators are concerned about partial product suits and services. It’s really frustrating when you cannot get an all-in-one deal, and have to work with multiple providers in order to put in place everything you need. Technamin only offers all-in-one deals!

“Another common issue is slow delivery and development cycles. Let’s face it, patience has been growing thin globally for many years, and we’re accustomed to getting results in a fast and efficient manner. The world is expanding rapidly, and slow services surely get left behind.

“One thing that players are always after is customisation. Who doesn’t like services which are tailored to them specifically? A lot of operators are disgruntled because they cannot find operators who offer full customisation options. Again, it’s all about efficiency, and this is exactly what we specialise in at Technamin.

“Finally, there is the common complaint of a distinct lack of advice, support, and experience. Operators cannot do everything on their own. They need a good advisory backbone, and a provider should serve as that. Oftentimes, I hear about operators who are just completely dumbfounded at how unsupportive certain providers are, and sadly I’ve seen one too many operators go under simply because of a lack of experience on part of the providers they chose to work with. This was yet another inspiration behind Technamin: to be on the side of operators at all times, arming them with advice, support, and experience.”

Covid-permitting, ICE London is on the horizon again in February next year. As usual, it will be full of those operators looking for good products and services. Why should they visit Technamin’s stand?

“Well, to begin with, we’re very easy to find there! All visitors have to do is take the first turn right when they enter from the main west entrance and spot our stand (S1-228) at the corner on the second row. But jokes aside, we will be showcasing our multi-dimensional crypto casino with NFT, which is sure to turn many heads at ICE this year. On top of that, we will showcase our extensive set of products and solutions, which I’m sure will appeal to any operator who wishes to add a competitive edge to its iGaming business.”

Editor’s note:

The future seems very exciting for Technamin. Years of experience has enabled Suren to truly understand the pain points of the industry and therefore be able to create a solution that can provide real value. This is something that is especially needed as the sector enters a new digital age, where your customer’s online experience is paramount. To stay competitive in this industry, technology must be at the core of an operators’ strategy. As the name suggests, Technamin are very tech-driven and always use the latest, state-of-the-

art technology to create stable products and offer streamlined services. We look forward to seeing what they can achieve when collaborating with operators going forward.