Entrepreneurship Foundation

11th December 2015

Tag list

Location / Country / Region

İstanbul, Turkey

Time frame

Started in April 2014 and still running.

Short description

To create the perspective of “give back” to young people, to promote youth entrepreneurship, taking risks and being inspired by others around those ages and also in university environments.

Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation aims to advance the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Turkey by ensuring the sustainability of the Fellow Program with new students every year. It is the first foundation in the world to support university students who have the potential to become entrepreneurs and the idea of entrepreneurship rather than supporting solid projects.

Target audiences

All university students between the ages 17-24, Turkish citizens and residing in Turkey, who are ready to enroll or study in a university, and who are currently a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th year students can apply to the program.

Relevant links, websites, etc.

http://www.girisimcilikvakfi.org/eng/index.php


 

BACKGROUND

Links with national / regional priorities

Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation aims to advance the entrepreneurship environment in Turkey by ensuring the sustainability of the Fellow Program with new students every year. It is the first foundation in the world to support university students who have the potential to become entrepreneurs and the idea of entrepreneurship rather than supporting solid projects:

  1. Being aware of Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation’s “giveback” philosophy: to share the success that is gained through the support of others with the community in order to multiply the success.
  2. Being passionate and eager about entrepreneurship
  3. Being positive and open to learning

Political and Economic dimensions

Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation is building the economy of the future with the students of today. Our country needs young people, thereby, institutions such as Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation are valuable in order to take stronger and more competitive steps towards the future. As a G20 member, Turkey is one of the countries that has already cast aside its concerns about entrepreneurship and is eager to head towards it.

Social dimensions

Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation is implementing the unique “Fellow Program” for university students in order to develop and extend the culture of entrepreneurship throughout Turkey.


 

1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Founded in April 2014 by leading businessmen and entrepreneurs, the Entrepreneurship Foundation works with youth to create and advance the entrepreneurship culture in Turkey.

Entrepreneurship is not a big part of the culture in Turkey due to the education system. As we look upon the entrepreneurs of this era, we see that most of these people made their connections with the world. Risk taking and observing the inspiring role models are the leading aspects of entrepreneurship.

Together with university students, we are implementing the unique “Fellow Program” in order to develop and extend the culture of entrepreneurship throughout Turkey. Aiming to find and select young people with leadership skills, the Fellow Program consists of five core components.

  • Network
  • Role Model
  • Scholarship
  • Startup Ambassadors
  • Giveback

2. ANALYSIS

Innovativeness

The program participants will be a part of a national and an international network.

Key Success Factors

Once every two months, the participants will come together with successful entrepreneurs and have a chance to take inspiration from their stories. These meetings are mandatory for the program participants.

Sustainability

The program participants will act as “startup ambassadors” in their own universities in order to propagate the culture of entrepreneurship by creating a multiplier effect.

Contributions LLP Policy

For all that, the existing system in Turkey consists of accelerators and further supports those who have already decided to become entrepreneurs. To develop the entrepreneurship culture, you have to create infrastructure and for that, you have to start from the basics. At this point, the right place to start is the universities

How does it contributes in qualify members for the Labs and experts for the Forums?

Entrepreneurship Foundation operates with the understanding that success can only be scaled and multiplied with the practice of “giveback” philosophy where success, attained with the support of public, is shared progressively with the public itself.

3. LESSONS LEARNT

Regarding the building of a shared definition of LLL in LLL-Hub

With its approach, Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation is teaching them about life. We do not only learn about entrepreneurship here. It gives us the opportunity to develop ourselves in many ways. It also lets us do something to develop the world.

Regarding the possibilities of having practices in LLL which evolve and become more innovative

The purpose of this project is to create a sector map that includes entrepreneurship clubs, academicians, technology transfer offices, entrepreneurship centers, non-profit organizations, investors and incubation centers.

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