Young Entrepreneurs with Innovative Business Ideas
The 4th SeedUP Innovative Entrepreneurship Program, which has generated a turnover of 16 million TL and exports worth 750 thousand dollars to date, included the Entrepreneurship Customer Analysis and Market Research Training held at the TechINBursa Entrepreneurship Center.
The SeedUP Innovative Entrepreneurship Program, coordinated by the Bursa Eskişehir Bilecik Development Agency (BEBKA) and carried out in collaboration with Bursa Technical University Technology Transfer Office (BursaTTO), Eastern Marmara Development Agency (MARKA), South Marmara Development Agency (GMKA), and Trakya Development Agency (TRAKYAKA), aims to provide training, academic and sectoral mentoring, and consultancy services to startups operating in Bursa, Eastern Marmara (Kocaeli, Sakarya, Bolu, Düzce, Yalova), South Marmara (Balıkesir, Çanakkale), and Thrace (Tekirdağ, Edirne, Kırklareli). The program’s first hybrid training was conducted at the TechINBursa Entrepreneurship Center within BEBKA.
Achieving a Turnover of 16 Million TL and Exports Worth 750 Thousand Dollars
Elif Boz Ulutaş, Head of the Planning Unit at BEBKA, stated that this year marks the 4th iteration of the SeedUP program. She said, “Under the Results-Oriented Program for the Development of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, coordinated by the General Directorate of Development Agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, we run numerous programs aimed at entrepreneurs and investors. In SeedUP, our entrepreneurs progress with the training and mentoring support they receive. After receiving training, they can turn their business ideas into business models. As the program progresses, some ideas will turn into businesses, and some will receive investment. In the previous three programs, we provided 210 hours of entrepreneurship training to 76 people and 405 hours of mentoring support to 45 people. Additionally, 27 entrepreneurs presented to investors at Demo Day events. As a result of all these processes, 10 companies were founded, 2 companies started exporting, and 46 people found employment. Four trademarks were registered, generating a turnover of 16 million TL and exports worth 750 thousand dollars. One of our entrepreneurs received an investment of 300 thousand dollars, and another raised 1.7 million through a crowdfunding campaign. Our entrepreneurs opened branches abroad. We believe that new successes will be added with this program,” she said.
‘Analyze Wants and Needs Well’
Bursa Technical University Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramazan Nacar, who shared insights on marketing, said, “The main reasons for the failure of a startup are the market not needing the venture, depletion of financial resources, and inability to form the right team. There is no chance of failure for a well-planned and well-analyzed business. Conversely, a bad business cannot succeed. If we accurately analyze wants and needs and reach our target audience, success will be easier to achieve. Marketing comes into play at the stage where need turns into want. Through marketing, we transfer market information to the company. Analyzing competitors gives us the chance to play the game by our rules. Consumer behavior provides important data for ventures. In short, to succeed, we must conduct analyses on many points related to marketing to determine our roadmap,” he stated.
Entrepreneurs who meet the criteria and have established companies under the SeedUP Program will be able to benefit from the office facilities at the TechINBursa Entrepreneurship Center, which has started operating within the BEBKA building. The training and mentoring processes for the entrepreneurs who will meet with investors at the end of the year are ongoing.
