Microsoft and YTU Yildiz Technopark Connect Entrepreneurs with Investors

ISTANBUL, (DHA) - In the Demo Day event organized in collaboration between YTU Yildiz Technopark and Microsoft for Startups, 10 entrepreneurs presented their projects to investors. The event aims to bring together the pool of entrepreneurs, allowing all initiatives to benefit from an extensive networking platform.

Yildiz Technical University (YTU) Yildiz Technopark and Microsoft for Startups are collaborating strategically in the entrepreneurship ecosystem to provide a series of events that enable all start-ups under their umbrella to benefit from an extensive networking platform. Through events organized to bring together the Founders Hub, an initiative by Microsoft for Startups that supports entrepreneurs from idea to execution, and YTU Yildiz Technopark's pool of entrepreneurs, all initiatives will have access to a wide networking platform. As part of these events, start-ups affiliated with the Founders Hub will have regular opportunities to meet with investors through Demo Days organized by YTU Yildiz Technopark. Microsoft will also organize technical workshops for entrepreneurs included in the Technopark.

As part of the collaboration, entrepreneurs presented their projects to investors at the Demo Day event held at YTU Yildiz Technopark's Davutpasa campus. The event was attended by YTU Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Yilmaz, Microsoft Turkey Deputy General Manager responsible for Marketing and Operations Munir Kundakci, and many investors.

"We Are the University with the Most Companies Founded by Students and Academics"

Speaking at the event, YTU Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Yilmaz expressed his excitement about their collaboration with Microsoft, saying, "YTU Startup House is a brand of Yildiz Technical University. We have a very good incubation center. We are the university with the most companies founded by students and academics. We achieve our success here. We produce a lot of patents. We are a research and development (R&D) university, but our definition is a bit different. We define it as research, innovation, technology, and commercialization. If there is no innovation, meaning no product, and no commercialization at the end of the product, we say that the R&D is not complete, and we try to do it this way. Within this year, we invested in 14 start-ups, incubation companies. In 2023, we will increase both the number and amount. We are very good in four verticals. Especially in gaming, I think our gaming vertical has been very effective in Turkey's success. Likewise, we are very good in fintech. The value of our top 10 companies there has reached 500-600 million dollars. It's not just for young people; even those above a certain age should not lose their courage."

"We Provide Significant Support through Founders Hub"

Speaking at the event, Microsoft Turkey Deputy General Manager responsible for Marketing and Operations Munir Kundakci said, "As we understand new ventures better, we ask ourselves how we can better promote them to our customers, where, and how we can help them grow and develop. We are here to answer these questions. Basically, we have a few supports. We have a program called Microsoft for Startups. Within this framework, we also have a program called Founders Hub. We provide very important support in this program," and he explained their contributions as follows:

"First, we say, 'If you are an entrepreneur, we will help you develop your new products.' Here, we provide Azure credits and some licenses in the Visual Studio. We provide free broadcast licenses for some services that developers like GetUp use extensively. At the same time, we say, 'We will provide you with the tools you need to manage your business well.' Here, we provide Microsoft 365 licenses and licenses to support CRM and sales processes on the dynamics side. But we don't stop there; we say, 'To use all of these well, you need technical support. Come, let us support you in defining the architecture of your software correctly and in solving the problems you will encounter while developing. Also, if you get stuck on any issue, don't bother solving it too much; save time and come to us.' Then we say, 'Creating and developing a company requires effort, and the experience of others is very valuable. We can provide mentorship support to you in this regard. The framework of Founders Hub is more or less like this. In addition to this, our company's biggest difference is that we have a very strong corporate sales network worldwide. If the solutions we provide can meet the needs of our customers, bringing the customer and the entrepreneur together is one of the very important differentiating services we provide. Our collaboration with Yildiz Technical University is very valuable for us, so we focus on it a little more, but the programs I mentioned are open to all initiatives. There is an application process. Anyone who goes through this application process can benefit. Also, all of the services I mentioned are free."

"Our Goal Is to Encourage Entrepreneurs"

YTU Yildiz Technopark Deputy General Manager İsa Turgut İnci said, "The entrepreneurship ecosystem is an area that must be supported for the economic and social development of our country. Thanks to the high technologies we have and our collaborations, we provide support to hundreds of entrepreneurs every year. Now, we are adding a new link to this chain with Microsoft Turkey. Our goal is to encourage entrepreneurs and maximize their interaction within the ecosystem. Finding talents with the entrepreneurship spirit in our universities, supporting them, and mentoring them in this huge market are crucial for us. With this aim, we meet the needs of entrepreneurs and help them reach the market under the YTU Startup House roof, in collaboration with our global partner Microsoft. YTU Startup House hosts more than 15 programs. Think about it; the entrepreneurial experience is being redesigned with a multidisciplinary team, and the whole ecosystem comes together for solutions to global problems that need to be solved. As a Technopark, we are here to help our entrepreneurs open up to the world and use all the resources available for this purpose. As our nature is technology and informatics, we will continue to be the first in all innovations in this field."