28 Jun 2019 Turkish Startups Meet at GreenTech 2019
The GreenTech İzmir 2019 finale brought together green technology startups in Türkiye with institutional actors on June 28 at the Historical Airgas Factory with the participation of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer.
GreenTech İzmir 2019 welcomed startups from all around Türkiye, expanding its scope since the first event of last year.
The finale was organized with the cooperation of İzmir Development Agency, Ministry of Industry and Technology, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Endeavor Türkiye, Redis Innovation, Turkish Energy Exchange (EPİAŞ), GCIP Türkiye, Hello Tomorrow Türkiye as well as Technology Development Zones in İzmir, Technology Transfer Offices and Incubation Centers also with the participation of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer at the Historical Airgas Factory.
The GreenTech program brought together institutional actors such as big companies, public institutions, municipalities, organized industrial zones and free zones with 18 qualifying startups from Türkiye in order to adapt to the changing trends in technology and to create sustainable value. KOSGEB and TÜBİTAK officials also informed participants about the support they provide for startups.
The 2019 program, the first of its kind in Türkiye, expanded to welcome participants from all around Türkiye this year after last year’s first program which included İzmir startups only. İZKA Secretary General Dr. Mehmet Yavuz and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer gave the opening speeches of the event.
İzmir will become the base for ‘Entrepreneurship’ and ‘technology’
Stating that İZKA has been working with the vision of being a pioneering and active Agency in sustainable growth since its establishment Dr Yavuz added, “GreenTech İzmir 2019 combines the two themes we are focused on “Green Energy and Clean Technology” with “Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technologic Production”. Especially the programs we implement for the development of mechanisms to identify entrepreneurs, to disseminate entrepreneurial activities in early years of education and the GreenTech İzmir program that accelerates the commercialization process of enterprises is among our prior activities.”
Emphasizing that interaction and collaboration between actors are crucial to transform the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which has been increasingly active in the last 10 years, into a growing value for the national economy Dr Yavuz added, “Institutional actors are potential funding and investment resource for technology startups while also being a significant source of experience, market awareness and supply chain know-how. And for our country technology startups are the fast track to innovation for institutional actors just like for the rest of the world. These collaborations are also on the agenda of new incentive mechanisms around the world.”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer stated in his speech” We live in a world where demand for consumption is increasing rapidly. The need for technology is increasing day by day in order to meet this increasing consumption. However, although technology is considered a need that meets the demands of our society, it also needs to be compatible with the environment. That’s where green technology steps in. It offers us sustainable new technologies by aligning the technology we need with the environment. We will create a healthy, welcoming world through developing green technologies not only in the field of energy but also in transportation, industry, health and many other aspects of life.”