Entrepreneur candidates from Syrian and host communities continue to receive support on the way towards achieving their dream of starting their own businesses in the Idea Factory Entrepreneurship Program implemented in Kayseri and Konya with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Entrepreneur teams in Kayseri participate in the Incubation Program

Entrepreneur candidates who successfully completed the Kayseri Idea Factory Pre-Incubation Program and were selected to receive a grant of 10.000 TL continued their online mentoring sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Entrepreneur Teams chosen to create sustainable employment and decent job opportunities by bringing technology-focused business ideas to life in Kayseri continued to work at full speed during the COVID-19 period. The teams, including Syrians, received training on research and development, marketing, legal processes, financial planning, as well as in the fields of Patent and Intellectual Property, Applied Business Canvas Model and Innovation.

The entrepreneur teams started prototyping to commercialize their products during the Incubation Program which started in April. Throughout this process, entrepreneurs, who worked one-on-one with experts from the partner of the program, Erciyes Teknopark, determined the necessary equipment and software needs to implement their business ideas and made progress regarding procurement processes.

The Incubation Program, which will continue until the end of December, is expected to be completed with a high-level closing ceremony and investor presentations.

In Konya entrepreneurs entitled to receive a grant announced

Entrepreneur candidates who completed the Basic and Advanced Entrepreneurship Training and qualified for the Pre-Incubation Program in Konya started their online training on May 4, 2020.

50 entrepreneur candidates, consisting of Syrians and Turks, participated in mentoring meetings and online trainings under the Pre-Incubation Program. Candidates worked on developing their business ideas until the end of May. Those who received trainings such as R&D and Innovation Management, Canvas and Business Canvas Model and Writing a Business Plan were teamed at the end of the trainings and prepared for their presentations on Demo Day.

Future entrepreneurs presented their business ideas to the jury members on Demo Day held on June 16. 30 entrepreneur candidates participating in the Pre-Incubation Program made their business idea presentations through online platforms. In the light of the ratings of the evaluation jury including the representatives from the UNDP and the Ministry of Industry and Technology, 10 Entrepreneur Teams were entitled to receive a grant of 10.000 TL.

Candidates who have successfully completed the Pre-Incubation program in the pandemic period are expected to start the Incubation Program at the end of June.

The Idea Factory Entrepreneurship Program was launched in Konya and Kayseri within the scope of job creation activities of Applied SME Capability Center – Model Factory Project, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Technology and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to increase the employability of Syrians and host communities and create decent job opportunities for them by improving the entrepreneurship and business development ecosystem.

The program which is funded by German Development Bank (KfW), aims to deliver basic and advanced level entrepreneurship trainings to Syrians under Temporary Protection and host communities, and following this a business incubation program will be launched to support the entrepreneur candidates who wish to start or develop their own business.