Golden tips for young entrepreneurs from the KOSGEB President!

Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu, President of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Development and Support Agency (KOSGEB), met with Altınbaş students at the Mahmutbey Technology Campus to outline the “Support and Transformation Programme for University-Affiliated SMEs”. The event was also attended by our Rector, Prof. Dr. Cemal İbiş; our General Secretary, Selçuk Uysaler; the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Prof. Dr. Galip Cansever; and the Dean of Research, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Kaygusuz. In his opening address, Rector Prof. Dr. Cemal İbiş emphasised the importance of channelling the university’s entrepreneurial potential into the business world with the right support.

“Don’t give up on your dreams”

KOSGEB President Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu, in his address, stated that KOSGEB has become a much more accessible institution for entrepreneurs thanks to its now fully digitalised and streamlined structure. Noting that complex processes have been replaced by swift and transparent solutions, İbrahimcioğlu provided information on the “top 500” ranking and quota dynamics targeted during each call period across Turkey. Urging students who had been left behind due to quota constraints following the jury’s scoring not to give up, İbrahimcioğlu said: “There are those who persist without tiring or losing heart, even receiving support in their fifth application round. They improve themselves with every attempt.”

Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu also addressed the issue of collateral—the biggest problem facing entrepreneurs—and outlined the 36-month working capital models offered through Ziraat Bank. Addressing entrepreneurs with the statement, “We act as your guarantor for 80%,” İbrahimcioğlu noted that this model, which eliminates the need for guarantees and letters of credit, removes the biggest financial obstacle facing projects.

Describing KOSGEB as a bridge that channels the nation’s resources to entrepreneurs, Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu concluded his speech with this important emphasis: “We are merely an intermediary organisation and are responsible for distributing the nation’s resources through these incentives. When you utilise these, both believe in their blessings and use them in the right places to achieve even more.”

At the end of the event, Prof. Dr. İbiş and Prof. Dr. Cansever presented a plaque to KOSGEB President İbrahimcioğlu, and a group photograph was taken.