28 Feb By ITU ARI Teknokent and Marketing Türkiye: Marketing Experience Meets Startups!
ITU ARI Teknokent, which works to develop, disseminate and globalise technology entrepreneurship in Türkiye, has provided unique opportunities to 270 startups and 533 entrepreneurs since 2016 through the ITU Çekirdek Growth Programme, enabling them to receive more than $181 million in investment. ITU ARI Teknokent, in cooperation with Marketing Türkiye, announced the “Marketing Coaching” project for ITU Çekirdek Growth Programme entrepreneurs this year. As part of the project, 28 leading marketing managers (CMOs) will provide one-on-one marketing coaching to 34 startups in the ITU Çekirdek Growth Programme for one year.
ITU ARI Teknokent, Türkiye’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub, continues to sign new projects while accelerating its entrepreneurs’ journey from product to success throughout the year as part of the Growth Programme of its ITU Çekirdek incubation centre.
As part of the programme, 28 leading marketing managers (CMOs) from the C Level Club community, with a combined 700 years of experience, will provide one-on-one marketing coaching to 34 ITU Çekirdek Growth entrepreneurs for one year.
Marketing coaching project will also provide ‘mutual learning’ opportunity
ITU ARI Teknokent General Manager Prof. Dr. Attila Dikbaş mentioned the achievements of the ITU Çekirdek Growth Programme, which has supported 270 startups and 533 entrepreneurs since 2016, and said, “Every year, our startups that are announced at the Big Bang Startup Challenge stage, where the best startups participate, receive one-on-one coaching and mentoring support for one year. To date, the total investment amount of these startups has exceeded USD 181 million, while their total valuation has exceeded TL 23 billion. To build on this success, we are constantly improving our programme and implementing new projects. In this context, we have established a strong cooperation with Marketing Türkiye in order to add value to the marketing processes of our startups producing solutions in the field of technology. 28 experienced marketing managers from different sectors will coach our 34 startups one-on-one throughout the year and strengthen their marketing skills. The Marketing Coaching project is not only a training process, but also a mutual learning journey. While our entrepreneurs will be inspired by pioneering marketing leaders in their field, they will also create valuable interactions by sharing their innovative perspectives and ideas with their coaches. I am very happy that ITU ARI Teknokent’s entrepreneurship ecosystem is getting stronger with new projects.”
Günseli Özen, editor-in-chief of Marketing Türkiye, explained how the collaboration will work: “The general opinion in our country is that product and production ideas are priceless. However, the best business ideas need to create demand to ensure their own sustainability. The answer to this demand comes from marketing. For many years, product-centred production brought people and their expectations to the fore in times of high supply and low demand. Today we talk about the ‘pull’ effect of marketing. The only obstacle for the startups in the ITU Çekirdek Growth Programme to become unicorns is to get the products to the people who need them. Marketing Türkiye is honoured to walk this path with the expertise of marketing leaders who are members of the C Level Club community, which Marketing Türkiye has positioned as a professional platform for 13 years and with technology startups that will be remembered for their success in our country. I would like to thank our club members who took part in this project.”
The ‘Marketing Coaching’ Project Coach-Startup Matches have been realised as follows:
