1,000 entrepreneurs from 63 countries to meet at Startup Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A total of 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors and businesspeople from 63 countries will meet to exchange business and investment views at Startup Istanbul on Oct. 6-10, organized by leading business association the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and a leading entrepreneurship group, Etohum. 
TOBB head Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said in a statement on Oct. 5 that Istanbul was well-positioned to become a startup hub for international entrepreneurs. 

“Istanbul could be positioned as not only a main center hub for multinationals, but also for startups from Asia, Europe and Africa. TOBB Startup Istanbul is the first step on the road to making Istanbul a global entrepreneurship center,” Hisarcıklıoğlu added, noting that more than half of the successful startups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants.

“It is of great importance to attract qualified entrepreneurs in the region to our country … Tens of thousands of applications from more than 100 countries to join TOBB Startup Istanbul is the strongest proof of Istanbul’s potential as a global entrepreneurship hub,” he said.

Applications to attend the event at the Istanbul Technical University were made from 135 countries, with some 1,000 entrepreneurs chosen from 63 countries following an assessment process, according to the statement.

The invited entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to present their business models to some of the world’s leading investors, including representatives from Abraaj Capital, 500Startups, Andreessen Horowitz, YCombinator, Lumia Capital, Wamda Capital and Rubicon Capital. 

A series of leading Turkish businesspeople will also attend the event to share their recommendations for developing the country’s entrepreneurship climate.

The opening speech of the event’s final day will be given by Hisarcıklıoğlu at the Istanbul Volkswagen Arena on Oct. 10. Doğan Online Founder and Chair Hanzade Doğan Boyner and Pegasus Chair Ali Sabancı will also give speeches during the event. 

Sam Mallikarjunan from Hubstop, author Elmira Bayrasli, Ozan Sönmez from Tjump, Couchsurfing.com CEO Casey Fenton, R. Michael Anderson from Executive Joy, Andrew Romans from Rubicon VC, IBM Cloud Vice President Maged Wassim, “The Lean Brand” author Jeremiah Gardner, Bill Kenney from Test my Pitch, Adora Cheung from Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz partner Matt Spence, 500 Startups partner Arjun Arora, “Startup Rising” author Christopher Schroeder, Google Partner Lead - VCs and Startups Sharif El-Badawi are all due to attend Startup Istanbul.