Women entrepreneurs, Üsküdar Üniversitesi gathered within the scope of BrainPark Incubation Center Entrepreneurship Talks. Within the “Opening to the Global Market” program with WEConnect International Turkey, the participation of women business owners in the global supply chain, training, and business networking opportunities were discussed. The stories of successful women entrepreneurs attracted attention.
The program, moderated by Üsküdar University R&D and Innovation Policies Director Halime Usta Yoğun, was attended by WEConnect International Country Director Nilay Çelik, Üsküdar University Dr. Lecturer, WEConnect International Turkey Council President Dr. Hacer Kayhan, and Nüde Danışmanlık, büyükbedeniz.com founder Nüket Dokuz, as speakers. In the program, training and business networking opportunities for women business owners to participate in the global supply chain, and the success stories of women entrepreneurs were discussed from many aspects.
Halime Usta Yoğun: “We aim to produce global-scale projects to support women entrepreneurs.”
In the acceleration programs we will launch at Üsküdar University BrainPark Incubation Center, we will organize special acceleration programs for women entrepreneurs. Women are creative and courageous, there are many qualified women entrepreneurs, the deficiency is in networking, promoting their products, and finding investors. WEConnect International is an effective network in this field; we have plans to trigger global-scale projects together in future collaborations.
Nilay Çelik: “Our goal is to empower women in business life”
Nilay Çelik, providing information about WEConnect International, stated; “We are a global non-governmental organization. Women business owners from all over the world can become members, and we organize events in different parts of the world. Our goal is to empower women in business life. We work to help our women meet large supply chains, sell their products, and have a greater share in the global and local markets. We introduce corporate firms looking for supply and suppliers to women business owners who can supply products or services to these corporate firms, and we support women business owners in bringing their products to market. We ensure that women business owners are informed about large tenders for suppliers from major companies and participate in these tenders, and we provide them with the necessary training to be more effective in this process. We put them through a certification process known worldwide as ‘Women Owned’. If at least 51% of a company’s shares are owned by women/a woman, and the management and control of the company are in the hands of women/a woman, we issue a ‘Women Owned’ certificate, making their companies a preferred choice for firms that support women in their supply chains. In summary, while helping institutions achieve their diversity goals in procurement, we also connect women business owners to the supply chains of corporate firms.” she stated.
Hacer Kayhan: “Our goal is to open women to the global market”
Dr. Lecturer and also WEConnect International Turkey Council President Hacer Kayhan, speaking about the studies conducted in Turkey concerning women entrepreneurs, stated; “This is a significant effort we, as a council, are trying to make. WEConnect International has made a substantial effort. But it is an activity that needs to be done hand-in-hand, in cooperation. Therefore, a council was established in Turkey for this purpose. We actually want to introduce more women to WEConnect International; to bring them onto the purchasing radar of these corporate firms. Because many women who produce eventually give up. Our goal is to support these women, increase their sales, and open them to the global market. Women have the potential to do this. WEConnect International is one of the best organizations that can support women business owners,” she said.
Nüket Dokuz: “My story was a hobby, became an SME!”
Nüket Dokuz, stating that she started her business life as a hobby, made remarkable shares about her business life. Dokuz said, “I wanted to do something. I had thoughts like, what can I do, I have children, they are growing up and they need me. My area of expertise was software; in 2009, we started by establishing the e-commerce site mangolino.com. My hobby became my business. Later, we carried out incorporation activities. In line with the needs, I founded Büyükbedeniz.com.” Our goal was to open up to the global market. However, we needed a lot of training and additional information to find a market and sell products. For example, topics like finance and product marketing. When I encountered WEConnect International, I saw that many women were experiencing the same things as me. The only thing we needed was courage. I participated in the training provided to women, which enabled me to develop and grow my business. As the Vice President of WEConnect International Turkey Council and an entrepreneur, I continue to support all women in my position,” she said.