Today, at the Opening Ceremony of the International Incubation Center held in Istanbul, leading figures from the Islamic world and the global entrepreneurship ecosystem came together. The event, which began with an opening speech by Mehmet Fatih Kacır, the Minister of Industry and Technology of Turkey, marked the beginning of a hopeful journey for the entrepreneurs of the future.
In his speech, Minister Kacır began by drawing the participants’ attention to the rapidly changing dynamics of the world and the impact of this change on the international order. He emphasized that steps taken in technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship are essential to play a leading role in global competition.
Continuing his speech by highlighting the process of change and transformation around the world, the Minister stated that countries focused on technology and innovation are reshaping the global order. He emphasized that determined steps are being taken to strengthen the country’s technology development, innovation, and entrepreneurship infrastructure.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said:
“The world is undergoing a major change. The international order is being reshaped by countries that can respond to the challenges caused by transformation with a focus on knowledge and innovation. Countries strengthening their technology development, innovation, and entrepreneurship infrastructure are becoming leaders in global competition.
That is why we are taking steps with determination to strengthen our technology and innovation ecosystem. We are building a giant R&D, innovation, and novelty ecosystem that will be a power multiplier in our effort to elevate our country above the level of contemporary civilizations.
We are spreading our entrepreneurship culture from young to old, accelerating our entrepreneurs’ journey from product to market with our support mechanisms and the infrastructure we have established. The success stories ranging from robotics to health, from financial technologies to artificial intelligence, and the emergence of 7 Turcorns from our country in just 4 years are proof that our country is a brand in technology entrepreneurship with its technoparks, incubation centers, TEKMERs, venture capital funds, and accelerator programs.
For us, these successes represent only the tip of the iceberg. We know and believe that if we continue to invest in our country’s most valuable treasure, our human resources, and connect our ventures with financial resources, quality infrastructure, and programs, we will turn our 2030 goal of 100 Turcorns and 100,000 technology entrepreneurs into reality.
With this understanding, we provide opportunities for our youth to pursue their dreams at TEKNOFEST and encourage them to turn their ideas into ventures. In the 100th year of our Republic, we held TEKNOFEST, the world’s largest aviation, space, and technology festival, in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
We stood by our youth with the Entrepreneurship Competitions we organized for the first time last year within TEKNOFEST and the Takeoff International Entrepreneurship Summit. With the Tech-InvesTR program, Technology and Innovation Fund, Regional Development Fund, Regional Venture Capital Fund Calls, and the Informatics Valley Venture Capital Investment Fund, among others, we ensure that public resources create a multiplier effect for our entrepreneurs with different funds and co-financing mechanisms.
With our Turcorn 100 program, we also provide support for successful technology venture candidates to open up to global markets and scale up faster. In the coming period, we will continue to undertake efforts that enhance the brand value of our country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and Istanbul, the heart of this ecosystem.
We will transform Istanbul into a global meeting point for technology ventures, making it one of the world’s top 20 entrepreneurship centers. The Tech Visa, which we will implement soon, is a program designed for this purpose. Through the program, we will invite international technology ventures with innovative business models and technology-based works, as well as talents with critical expertise in technology, to our country.
Especially, we will introduce entrepreneurs from friendly and brotherly countries and our heartland geography to the opportunities and advantages offered by the Turkey technology ecosystem. We will open the doors of the entrepreneurship world to the youth of our heartland geography and the Islamic geography, leaving indelible marks in human history with our region’s richness of thought, scientific capacity, and pioneering figures.”
