“OPEN HOUSE MEETING” HELD AS PART OF THE KUTSO ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACCELERATION PROGRAMME

As part of the “Future Business Leaders” KUTSO Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme conducted by the Kütahya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KUTSO), the “Open House Meeting” mentoring event, which constitutes one of the key stages of the programme, was held.

Within the framework of the programme, 15 entrepreneurial teams selected from among 140 start-ups and advancing to the final stage were given the opportunity to develop their projects and strengthen their business models under the guidance of expert mentors in their respective fields. The start-ups received comprehensive evaluations and guidance under the headings of product-market fit and business model, growth, sales and marketing, intellectual property management, operations and technology management, and finance and investment management.

In his opening speech, KUTSO Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors Emin Yüce stated that the start-ups reaching the final stage represent significant potential that will contribute to the development of Kütahya’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He further noted that KUTSO regards entrepreneurship activities as a strategic priority and will continue to support entrepreneurs at every stage.

In her closing speech, KUTSO Board Member Responsible for Entrepreneurship Semra Tozaraydın emphasised that the ideas and interaction generated throughout the programme demonstrated Kütahya’s entrepreneurial capacity. Ms Tozaraydın stated that the experience and feedback gained by the entrepreneurs during the process would make an important contribution to the development of their projects, and drew attention to the importance of determination and continuity in the lead-up to the final stage.

The moderation and coordination of the event were carried out by Tuğba Katırcı, Head of the KUTSO Entrepreneurship Office. The interaction established between mentors and entrepreneurs throughout the process contributed to the efficient progress of the programme.

Contributing to the mentoring process under the heading of product-market fit and business model were Dr Abdullah Gayret, General Manager of GCA; Dr Arda Zaim, Founder of AHZ Endüstriyel; and Tunahan Ergin, Regional Director of the Kütahya Organized Industrial Zone. Under the heading of growth, sales and marketing, contributions were provided by Alaattin Nuri Özçam, Corporate Sales Director of GCA; Burak Yıldırım, Owner of Turuncuelma.com; and Dr Tuğba Öztürk Demir, E-Commerce and Brand Manager of Keramika. Under intellectual property management, contributions came from Attorney Aytek Canbek of Canbek Law Office; Trademark and Patent Attorney Nur Hayat Buran of Hayat Law Office; and Enes Öğütçü, Founder of Kobiloji Consultancy Services and a Patent and Trademark Attorney. Under operations and technology management, the mentors included Fatih Mehmet Kılıç, Provincial Director of KOSGEB Kütahya; Hüseyin Fehmi Kocagöz, Owner of Ticari Bulut Teknoloji ve Yazılım Sistemleri Ltd. Şti.; and Ahmet Özrenk, Co-Founder of Cevizsoft Teknoloji A.Ş. Under finance and investment management, contributions were made by Murat Temur, Branch Manager of Halkbank Kütahya; Elif Sezer, SME Portfolio Manager at Yapı Kredi Kütahya Branch; Dr Murat Öztürk, Faculty Member in the Department of International Trade and Finance at Kütahya Dumlupınar University; and Abdurrahman Sicimoğlu, Administrative Affairs Manager at GCA.

Through the mentoring process carried out within the scope of the programme, the entrepreneurs gained significant benefits in developing their projects. Following the “Open House Meeting”, the start-ups will present their projects at the final programme to be held on 21 May.

News: KUTSO Press