We are here with an extraordinary journey that will touch the lives of our young brothers and sisters who will be choosing a university, a journey that goes beyond theory and reaches the very heart of the business world. In this video, we are taking a step-by-step tour of the unique opportunities and the enormous ecosystem that Istanbul Commerce University offers to its students, and examining the most critical stops of this journey on-site.

At our first stop, the Istanbul Commerce University campus, we meet with our Rector, Prof. Dr. Necip Şimşek, and discuss the university’s vision. Under this roof, which blends academic knowledge with practical experience, we hear firsthand how students are supported at every step, from theoretical courses to TEKNOFEST processes and social projects. We examine firsthand the self-confidence and broadened horizons that students gain from meeting with hard-to-reach expert names in the same classroom setting.

The Path of Entrepreneurial Students: From University to the Business World

At our Technology Transfer Office (TTO) stop, one of the most critical steps in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, we meet with the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ilker Kose. We detail how an idea is transformed into a product, from intellectual property rights to patent processes, from TÜBİTAK and BAP projects to industry collaborations. We witness how students from different disciplines, from engineering to law, from psychology to design, come together in joint projects.

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Another exciting point on our journey is the Knowledge Commercialization Center (BTM). We meet with the BTM General Manager, Dr. In our conversation with Önder Kul, we learn how projects in the idea stage are grown in incubation centers, and how startups are scaled up through small demo days and international investor networks. We examine the opportunities this structure, one of Türkiye’s largest entrepreneur supporters, offers to young people.

A Giant Ecosystem Shaping the Future

At our stop in Teknopark Istanbul, where R&D activities are carried out in critical areas from the defense industry to artificial intelligence, we are hosted by General Manager Prof. Dr. Abdurrahman Akyol. We detail how students can participate in one of Turkey’s most qualified technoparks, with its incubation centers, park rooms, laboratories, and access to financial resources. In this environment with thousands of employees and hundreds of companies, it is clearly demonstrated how young people integrate into the industry even during their student years.

We conclude our journey at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) building, the architect and patron of this vast ecosystem. In our candid interview with ITO President Şekib Avdagiç, we touch upon the value of training well-equipped individuals who can compete in the global market. We conclude the first part of our video series by discussing the benefits for young people of living in Istanbul not just as a city, but as a school, and the unlimited opportunities that ITO offers to young entrepreneurs.