Yıldız Technical University and Çalık Holding are looking for young entrepreneurs with feasible ideas and projects.
Çalık Holding will provide up to 1 million TL financing and co-investment opportunity to eligible projects in the "My First Job Is Entrepreneurship" competition conducted jointly by Çalık Holding and Yıldız Technical University (YTU). In addition, YTU Technology Transfer Office will provide a free office for one year at the incubation center to the prospective entrepreneur who is recognized most for his/her project.
Operating mainly in Turkey and also across other geographies in the world by focusing primarily on activities delivering benefits for people and societies beside investments, Çalık Holding has joined efforts with Yıldız Technical University (YTU), one of the longest established universities in Turkey with a history of more than a century, to launch the "My First Job Is Entrepreneurship" competition for prospective entrepreneurs with business ideas.
The competition, "My First Job Is Entrepreneurship and Industrial Competitiveness Project Market", will accept projects from students, academicians, new graduates and young professionals who trust their projects and ideas and say "I can run my own business, I can manage a company." The top 10 prospective entrepreneurs who are shortlisted for final following the evaluation of applications will promote their ideas in the competition to be conducted live on May 22, Thursday at 09:30 am in Otag-ı Humayun, YTU Davutpaşa Campus. Prospective entrepreneurs who manage to satisfy the jury of 6 people with their presentations will be offered a large investment of 1 million TL with the opportunity to partner with Çalık Holding in their projects. Furthermore, the prospective entrepreneur who is recognized the most for his/her project will be provided with opportunities including a free office for one year at YTU's Technology Transfer Office as well as support for infrastructure, overheads and mentorship.
Çalık: "Our geography needs more entrepreneurs"
Çalık Holding's Chairman Ahmet Çalık commented on the competition: "Entrepreneurship plays a key role in the development of countries with improved life standards. When we look at the developed western countries leading the global economy, the percentage of young entrepreneurs varies between 15 percent and 20 percent. Yet in Turkey this rate is below 5 percent. We need brave entrepreneurs who can add value to our country and environment and take risks by generating innovative ideas. We have launched "My First Job Is Entrepreneurship" in order to support and encourage our young individuals with capabilities to develop significant projects to improve the life standards of our people and, in general, the humanity. I believe this project will enable us to open the door of opportunities to our young entrepreneur fellows who are the future of Turkey." Prof. Dr. Cengiz Kaya, Project Executive of Technology Transfer Office at Yıldız Technical University, said, "We have taken the first step together with our strategic partner Çalık Holding towards making "My First Job Is Entrepreneurship" a traditional event that will continue for long years rather than a one time initiative. We hope that, just like in the starfish story, we can introduce several starfish in the sea during this challenging entrepreneurship marathon."
How to apply?
For further information about the "My First Job Is Entrepreneurship" competition conducted by Yıldız Technical University Technology Transfer Office, please visit www.girisim.yildiz.edu.tr or FAQ page. Candidates can go through the competition rules and join the competition by emailing their projects to girisim@yildizteknopark.com.tr. Deadline for applications is May 13, 2014.
About Çalık Holding
Established in 1981, Çalık Holding today operates as an international industrial group in the energy, construction, textile, finance, mining, and telecom sectors across 17 countries with around 24,000 employees. As one of the leading Turkish investors in the Central Asia, Balkans, Middle East and Africa, the Group has a consolidated asset size of around 7.5 billion USD. Çalık Holding is highlighted as a leading and powerful player in the main sectors on which it focuses leveraging its long-established corporate structure, rich company culture, highly qualified human resource as well as its reputation, reliability and strong financial standing.
About YTU Technology Transfer Office
Yıldız Technical University Technology Transfer Office is a dynamic organization committed to ensure effectiveness of university-industry coordination, support research activities commercially and through consultancy, and deliver initiatives in the areas of briefing, training, project support, collaboration, intellectual & industrial property rights, entrepreneurship and incorporation. With a history of more than a century, Yıldız Technical University targets achieving world standards in education and research both in qualitative and quantitative terms and progresses towards being a modern university that trains qualified workforce and offers benefits to its local community and society in every field with a student population of 30,000 supported by around 3,000 academic and administrative personnel at 10 Faculties, 3 Graduate Schools and 3 Institutes.
