The M.I.T. Enterprise Forum, a volunteer-based entrepreneurship organization founded as an initiative by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, has opened its ninth global office in Turkey.
The organization aims to become the most influential global entrepreneurial network by building a platform for networking, knowledge sharing and wealth creation for entrepreneurs worldwide, Richard Kivel, global president of the M.I.T. Enterprise Forum, said at the opening ceremony on Monday in Istanbul.
“We are focused on supporting the passion and creativity that every entrepreneur feels inside,” he said.
The Turkey branch will support young entrepreneurs who make a difference with new ideas, said Gülsün Bozkurt, president for the M.I.T. Enterprise Forum Turkey. “A distinguishing property of M.I.T. Enterprise Forum is that it is an organization of volunteers,” said Bozkurt, who is also an MIT graduate.
The organization has more than 900 volunteers globally, Kivel said. More than 88,000 people attended over 400 events organized by the Enterprise Forum last year, the president said.
The founding members of the M.I.T. Enterprise Forum Turkey hail from various professions such as antiques, information technologies and banking. They include Selçuk Kiper, Çağlan Kuyumcu, Burçin Ergünt, Tayfun Demirören, Atom Damalı and Volkan Ekinci.
Business Plan Competition
The first activity of the Forum will be a Business Plan Competition, with a total prize purse of $70,000.
Groups of three with at least two Turkish members will attend the three-phase competition with their business ideas, said Bülent Hiçsönmez, an M.I.T. Enterprise Forum Turkey board member and Google Turkey director.
The applications will be accepted until Feb. 1, he said. On March 1 the jury will make a shortlist of 30 nominees.
Nine groups will be named on May 3 and will cooperate with professionals such as lawyers and accountants that the Enterprise Forum provides to develop their plans, Hiçsönmez said.
Investors might be interested in business ideas by not only the winners but all attendees, said Ali Haydar Bozkurt, Toyota Turkey CEO, which is sponsoring the competition.
“There is a misunderstanding that entrepreneurs need investors,” said Bozkurt, at his speech at the ceremony. “But the truth is just the opposite. It is the investors looking for young and bright ideas.”
Along with the competition, the forum plans to organize several events including entrepreneurial workshops, a local conference and case studies. These events will provide chance for young entrepreneurs to develop networking with other institutions of MIT.
Turkey’s leading mobile telecommunication company, Turkcell, is also a sponsor of the organization.
Detailed information on the competition can be found at www.mitefturkey.org
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