An ‘Entrepreneurship Summit’ was organized by the IEEE Üsküdar University Student Branch Club under the leadership of Üsküdar University Health Culture Sports (SKS) Department. Experts in their fields attended the summit, which drew significant interest. The summit emphasized that taking certain risks is necessary to be an entrepreneur and highlighted the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone.
The summit, held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall of Üsküdar University Central Campus, was attended by Melih Elidüzgün, Managing Partner of Real People; Yasin Yılmaz, Co-founder of Born2beRoot; Ahmet Hoşgör, Co-founder of Coderspace; Yasemin Tavlaşoğlu, Venture Screening Manager of İş Bankası Artificial Intelligence Program; Ferkan Akyazıcı, CEO and Founder of Ferisoft; and Mine Taşkaya, CEO and Co-founder of GTech.
Mina Çelik, CS President, delivered the opening speech of the program, which was followed with great interest by students.
Melih Elidüzgün: “The risks I took in life made me an entrepreneur”
Melih Elidüzgün, Managing Partner of Real People Company, stated that the risks he took in entrepreneurship brought him to the forefront. Elidüzgün mentioned that he is someone who loves taking risks, and he also touched upon the difficulties and opportunities he encountered in entrepreneurship. He stated that he took his first step on the path to an entrepreneurial journey during his student years, actively participated in student communities in the past, and continues to serve in these communities.
Yasin Yılmaz: “You need to step out of your comfort zone”
Yasin Yılmaz, Co-founder of Born2beRoot, who stated that while most of his peers were playing computer games in internet cafes or at home, he was spending his time developing, producing, and discovering things; “The first rule in entrepreneurship is belief. First, you must believe in yourself, then you must believe in what you dream of; after that, it's about networking and communication. In the environments you go to, don't say, ‘What am I doing there?’ There's really a lot that can be gained once you go. Try to step out of your comfort zone. You always see them shared on the internet. I'm tired of those articles about entrepreneurship. There's a lot of misinformation, yes, there's correct information among them, but it's important to identify it. A lot of incomplete information that can mislead people is being given. Personal experiences are highlighted too much. Personal experiences are important, but not everyone is you; everyone is different. There are also sayings like 'step out of your comfort zone.' This is true. You need to step out of your comfort zone. If you want to grow, develop, reach a certain point, and produce, you need to step out of your comfort zone.”
Ahmet Hoşgör: “The common characteristic of every successful person is hard work”
Ahmet Hoşgör, Co-founder of Coderspace, talked about establishing his own company after working at Garanti Bank for many years. Hoşgör said; “Thanks to Coderspace, companies reach the candidates they are looking for, and those seeking new job opportunities become aware of these opportunities. As a company that hosts software developers, we not only share job opportunities but also provide short-term training. The common characteristic of every successful person is hard work. Focus on one job with everything you have.” he said.
Yasemin Tavlaşoğlu: “We support artificial intelligence initiatives with funds”
Yasemin Tavlaşoğlu, Venture Screening Manager at İş Bankası Artificial Intelligence Factory, began her speech by explaining the artificial intelligence program she works with. Tavlaşoğlu, speaking about the program she works with, stated that it is not a program that produces artificial intelligence, but rather that artificial intelligence projects are supported with funds. In the interactive Q&A session that followed, Tavlaşoğlu gave advice to students on the conditions under which they should prepare their startup projects and what they need to do to get their ventures supported. Towards the end of her speech, she talked about the projects they support and the characteristics of the audience preparing these projects.
Ferkan Akyazıcı: “What is important is to grow correctly”
Ferkan Akyazıcı, CEO and Founder of Ferisoft, stating that there is no success that cannot be achieved with hard work; “An entrepreneur has to take certain risks when starting a business. You need to manage not only the team well, but also finances and customer relations. If you do all of these together, success comes naturally. I took risks, built my team, and suddenly rented an office. We faced many difficulties, but we overcame them. It is necessary to endure hardship and be a part of the system. After a while, everything falls into place. There will be times when you can't fit everything into normal working hours; the customer needs to be called, but you also need to do software development and address different issues. Since you can't abandon one for the other, you will need to work late into the nights for a certain period. This is how you should grow, with correct steps. Growing all at once is one of the most dangerous things. What is important is to grow correctly. If you grow correctly, the rest comes naturally. Growing slowly and with correct steps is the best; our story is about working hard.” he said.
Mine Taşkaya: “Whatever you do, do it from your heart…”
Mine Taşkaya, CEO and Co-founder of GTech, emphasizing the importance of self-development; “If you want to live your life the way you want, you need to believe. You shouldn't think about what others will say. For example, your family approaches you more protectively, instinctively wanting to protect you, but when they see your desire and belief, they somehow open your path and support you. It might be a little difficult, but the result is beautiful. When this happens, you learn a lot, other skills develop, you become very strong, and you make them believe and trust you more. When choosing a person for our team, we look at who is more enthusiastic, who is entrepreneurial, what kind of work they have done on the topic they said they are enthusiastic about, and what they have done to stand out among hundreds of people. You will not give up, you will be enthusiastic, and you will work very hard. You will have a competency for them to choose you, and you will believe in yourself. Furthermore, when the individual competencies of women and men combine in teamwork, a very beautiful result emerges. Therefore, trust yourself and develop yourself. At the end of today and in the future, whatever you do, do it from your heart. Put in the effort.” she said.
The Entrepreneurship Summit concluded after a Q&A session with a group photo.