EIB Export-Up, Turkey's first export-oriented mentoring program for young and women entrepreneurs of Aegean Exporters' Associations; TurkishWIN started its second term with the support of the Business World and Sustainable Development Association (SKD Turkey), EMCC (European Mentoring & Coaching Council), Binyaprak and Endeavor Turkey.
Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator President Jak Eskinazi points out that although the number of SMEs in Turkey is around 4 million, the number of exporters is around 120.
“We need to reach a level of knowledge that companies can export 30 percent to 50 percent of their products, and we need to lay the groundwork for our exports with high value-added products. We can reach our target of 250 thousand exporters by including well-equipped young and female entrepreneurs in exports. Our young and female entrepreneurs will become competent names in exports through programs such as EİB Export-Up, and when they become exporters, our exports of qualified products with added value will increase. This needs to become a state policy. Thus, we can quickly increase Turkey's average export price from 1,5 dollars to 3 dollars. When we move our average export price to 3 dollars, our current exports will increase to 500 billion dollars.”
Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator President Jak Eskinazi reminded that EIB is the first Exporters' Association to set up a mentoring program in Turkey and continued his words as follows:
“In the first period of the EIB Export-Up Mentoring Program, we received intense interest and received very positive feedback. Thanks to EİB Export-Up, our young and female entrepreneurs exported for the first time, made commercial connections with many countries, improved their business processes and expanded their networks. As EIB, our main mission is to support sustainable development. With our motto "Exporters of the future believe in the power of experience", we started the second period of our EIB Export-Up Mentoring Program with enhanced contents.”
The new development agenda of the world is “sustainability”
Explaining that they determined the main theme of the program as "Sustainable and Green Growth", Eskinazi emphasized that as EIB, they take part in every work on sustainability and gender equality.
“With our young and female entrepreneurs operating in the field of sustainability, we will examine the latest trend and the new development agenda of the world, “sustainability”, which has changed our commercial relations with the EU Green Deal process. Among our mentors in this period are those who produce organic textiles, have a digital waste management platform, reduce pesticide rates with Agricultural Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, reduce water use and effectively monitor and evaluate agricultural lands, and conduct R&D studies for energy sharing network software and energy transfer equipment. We have many companies that produce environmentally friendly and healthy herbal alternatives to animal foods, work on energy efficiency and use of clean energy, transform food waste, and make environmentally friendly production with good agricultural practices. As Aegean Exporters' Associations, which are the pioneers in sustainability among Exporters' Associations in Turkey, we have a lot of knowledge and experience to transfer to our entrepreneurs.”
Leading exporters in sustainability will mentor
Jak Eskinazi said, “Our 8 young (under 40 years old) and women exporters, who have just started exporting or want to increase their capacity, are from the dried fruit, ready-to-wear, textile, software/automation, furniture, aquatic products and animal products, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, olive oil and chemistry sectors. will receive mentoring services from our mentor exporters and experts, consisting of our sustainability-leading Board of Directors members. As EİB, we are expanding our entrepreneurship circle with new stakeholders. We are taking more comprehensive and stronger steps by adding SKD Turkey and Endeavor Turkey in our second term on this path we started with TurkishWin.” he said.
Young and female entrepreneurs achieve success with EİB Export-Up
Speaking at the opening program of the second term of the EIB Export-Up Mentoring Program, Aegean Exporters' Unions Secretary General İ. Cumhur İşbırakmaz said, “As EİB, we continue our activities for sustainability and gender equality in 2023 as well. In the second period of the Export-Up Mentoring Program, which we organized for the first time last year, we will try to contribute to the export capacity of our 8 beneficiaries, 6 beneficiaries, who have just started exporting or who want to improve their capacity, for 18 months, under the supervision of our experienced mentors. The Export-Up Mentoring Program, which started with a total of XNUMX beneficiaries from different sectors in the first period, also pioneered many success stories.” said.
Target market determination, global marketing strategy, e-export, start-up culture, new generation government aid
İşbırakmaz said, “While the automation company of one of our young participants was returning to export after 6 years, one of our female participants started her export life with the Export-Up Program within her newly established company in the textile sector. Within the scope of the program, as in the previous period, in the new period, we will be supported to increase the competencies of our participants and to bring new exporters to our export family with trainings on target market determination, global marketing strategy, e-export, start-up culture and new generation state aids that include many instruments. ” he said.
EIB Export-Up Mentoring Program second term mentors;
- TİM Board Member, Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters' Association Board Member Birol Celep,
- Melih İşliel, Vice President of Aegean Fisheries and Animal Products Exporters' Association,
- Gürhan Kanlı, Member of the Board of Aegean Textile and Raw Materials Exporters' Association,
- Cüneyt Başbakkal, Member of the Board of Aegean Furniture Paper and Forest Products Exporters' Association,
- Burak Hucuptan, Member of the Board of the Aegean Cereals, Pulses, Oilseeds Exporters' Association,
- Yasin Akçakaya, Member of the Audit Board of the Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters' Association,
- PETKIM Petrochemical Marketing Manager Dr. Mevlut Cetinkaya,
- Triggerz Managing Partner and Foxpider Managing Partner Entrepreneur Erdem Gülen.