Here are The Ones Enriching Türkiye

H.E. Mr. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on October 29 that the first mass production vehicle of Togg, Türkiye’s natural electric car, will roll off the assembly line. H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan stated that they will put Türkiye’s automobile at the service of the globe despite those who claim, “We can’t do it,” adding, “In the first quarter of 2023, we will begin to see Togg on the roads of our nation.”

Bilişim Vadisi, Türkiye’s technology, and innovation hub, sponsored an award ceremony for Kocaeli-based enterprises that contribute value to Türkiye. H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan attended the ceremony, which brought together all aspects of the industry, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship fields.

H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan described Bilişim Vadisi as “the cornerstone of a great and powerful Türkiye” in his speech at the ceremony, adding that the award-winning firms brought value not just to Kocaeli but also to Türkiye.

BEHIND THE WHEELS OF TOGG

Following the ceremony, H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan drove the Togg engineering prototype, which is currently being tested at the Bilişim Vadisi. Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş sat next to H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan behind the wheel of the red-colored Togg, which also included Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank and TOBB President Rıfat Hisarcıklıoğlu. H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan posted on his social media account, stating “On the roadways of our paradise homeland. Domestic and national.” Another Togg transported to the festival location and displayed in a cabin piqued the interest of participants. The participants, who took numerous photos with Togg, got the opportunity to extensively inspect the vehicle.

THE CENTER OF TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY

The ‘Best’ of Kocaeli, the industrial and technological capital, assembled. With 18 billion dollars in exports, Kocaeli established a large ecosystem from every sector, where the “Adding Value to Kocaeli, the Center of Technology and Industry” award ceremony was held with the contributions of the Kocaeli Governorship, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, and Bilişim Vadisi under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology.

MR. VARANK HOSTED THE CEREMONY

Vice President Fuat Oktay, AK Party Deputy Chairman Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Minister of Treasury and Finance Nureddin Nebati, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişci, Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, Presidential Investment Office Head Burak Dağlıoğlu also participated in the ceremony hosted by Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO THE MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY

H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan spoke at the ceremony, thanking the Ministry of Industry and Technology for bringing him together with the program’s participants. Erdoğan stated that Bilişim Vadisi is unquestionably one of the first areas that comes to mind when it comes to those who give value to Kocaeli “Even the phrase ‘Kocaeli’ appears insufficient to me. It is presumably more accurate to state “those who add value to Türkiye.”

THE CORNERSTONE OF THE STRONG AND GREAT TÜRKİYE

Noting that when they inaugurated Bilişim Vadisi three years ago, they expected it to be a technological and innovation hub that would influence Türkiye’s future, Erdoğan stated, “In the short time that has passed, we can see that our valley is moving in the right direction. Bilişim Vadisi with its enterprises functioning in industries such as software, mobility, electronics, energy, design, and gaming, is the cornerstone of a great and strong Türkiye. With a total size of 230 thousand square meters, Bilişim Vadisi is the largest technology development zone in our country. Bilişim Vadisi, which is linked by the technology corridor connecting Istanbul, Kocaeli, and Izmir, gives significant energy to our national technology push. I believe that Bilişim Vadisi’s technological and innovation capacity will grow in the next years.”

REFLECTS THE OBJECTIVES OF TÜRKİYE

H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan stated that awarding companies that add value to Kocaeli, one of Türkiye’s locomotive cities, in such a location that reflects the objectives of the new Türkiye has a different meaning reminding us that the ancestors once said, “Talent is subject to compliment, labor without compliment is wasted.”

FOREIGN DEPENDENCE ON TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTION

Expressing that as the President of Türkiye, he places a high value on encouraging creative, high-quality, and ground-breaking enterprises, Erdoğan stated, “Foreign dependence in technology and production, like foreign dependence in defense, offers severe risks. What happened during the coronavirus pandemic clearly confirmed this point. Even the world’s wealthiest and most successful countries struggled to secure masks for healthcare staff and citizens. They had days when it was difficult to provide basic health services. Production was halted in many places for months due to disruptions in global supply systems. We are all extremely familiar with the pictures reflected from hospitals, markets, and industrial sites.”

EVERY MONTH, WE BREAK EXPORT RECORDS

Pointing out that Türkiye ranked first among G20 countries with 11% growth last year, H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan said, “In the first quarter of this year, we grew by 7.3%. While global employment fell, we hit our best level in history, reaching 31 million. Every month, we set new export records. In July, our exports climbed by 13.5% over the same period last year, reaching 18 billion 550 million dollars. Türkiye was only able to export 36 billion dollars in 2002, which means that when we took office, our exports were just 36 billion dollars. Where are we at now? We are almost at 250 billion USD.”

OUR WELFARE WILL BE ENHANCED

Underlining that they are actively monitoring the market imbalances produced by the unexpected and excessive spike in commodity prices, H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan stated, “We will hopefully see the positive results of our policies more clearly in the first quarter of next year, particularly in terms of inflation. We will undoubtedly protect Türkiye from this global havoc.”

NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY MOVE

Stating that they launched the National Technology Move as the largest industrial and technological achievement in the history of the Republic, H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan remarked, “In Türkiye, there has been a significant surge in investment in technology-based businesses. We have significantly exceeded the investment figures we predicted two years ago for 2023. In 2020, Türkiye’s investments in technology businesses were only 148 million dollars, but by 2021, this figure had risen to more than 1.5 billion dollars. The 1.4 billion dollars invested in 132 technological startups in the first half of 2022 represents new highs and success stories. Türkiye attracted the largest investments in the game software business in Europe in the first half of this year. Two years ago, there were no companies in our nation with a valuation of one billion dollars, but today there are six companies.”

WE WILL BE ADMIRED

Informing that they are realizing Türkiye’s automobile, which is one of Türkiye’s vision projects, step by step in accordance with the schedule they have set, H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan stated, “Hopefully, we will hold the official opening of TOGG’s Gemlik Factory and the unveiling ceremony of the first serial production vehicle on October 29, 2022. TOGG will initially appear on our country’s highways in the first quarter of 2023. Despite those who say, ‘You cannot do it, you cannot produce it, and even if you produce it, you cannot sell it,’ we will put Türkiye’s automobile into service for our country and the rest of the world. As we have pushed our country to the point of being pointed at in the defense industry, I am confident that we will attain a comparable degree of success in the electric car.”

FIRST ADDRESS TO COME TO MIND

Minister Varank stated that the Bilişim Vadisi, one of the first addresses that come to mind for R&D and technology operations, has more than 300 R&D businesses active in various vital industries ranging from mobility to information-communication technologies, software to design. Varank stated that when they planned to build the valley in Kocaeli, some people complained, as they always do “They objected to this in the same way that they objected to city hospitals, bridges, highways, and airports. However, we have always believed in Kocaeli and its immense potential in industry and technology. I am pleased that we did.”

ENVIRONMENT FOR EFFECTIVE BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT

Varank expressed his overwhelming joy at contributing to the success of the industrial and technology firms here as the government, saying, “H.E. Mr. President, our guests here today are well aware that no success is by chance. Surely, our companies achieve this success by working tirelessly day and night. However, giving our entrepreneurs a successful business and investment climate that will not waste their efforts and will encourage them is equally valuable. Under your Excellency’s leadership, we as the ministry accompany our business world in every manner and continue to pave the route for them without pausing.”

OUTSTANDING PROJECTS THAT WILL REVEAL A NEW ERA

Explaining that in Kocaeli and all other cities, they focus on investment, production, employment, and exports, Varank stated “We are constructing OIZs, industrial zones, and industrial sites, as well as developing our country’s industrial infrastructure. We are disseminating the idea of innovation as the path to value-added production through Technoparks and R&D design centers. With KOSGEB and TÜBİTAK, we provide critical support to our enterprises. We offer appealing incentives to stimulate private-sector investment. With our incubation facilities and grants, we help to foster innovative entrepreneurship. We are putting in place comprehensive support mechanisms to ensure that key technologies are produced with domestic and national resources. We are building vision projects that will transform our country in disciplines as diverse as autonomous technology, space exploration, and artificial intelligence.”

CENTER OF INDUSTRY

Kocaeli exports 18 billion dollars per year, with 650 thousand people and 8 thousand manufacturing firms. In 2021, Kocaeli will account for nearly 40% of vehicle production. With its ports and logistics centers, the province is in Türkiye’s most strategic location, with 14 Organized Industrial Zones, 2 Free Zones, and 1 Industrial Zone.

NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY MOVE

TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM), Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) Quality Campus, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli Health and Technology University, Gebze Technical University, and 128 R&D centers and 15 Design Centers are located in the city, which is one of the most important regions for the National Technology Move vision. Bilişim Vadisi, TÜBİTAK Marmara Teknokent (MARTEK), Gebze Organized Industrial Zone Technopark, Kocaeli University Technopark, and Gebze Technical University Technopark are the five Technology Development Zones in Kocaeli. These zones contribute significantly to domestic and national industries.

AT THE HEART OF CIVIL TECHNOLOGIES

One of these, Bilişim Vadisi, where the ceremony was held, was established with the aim of transforming Türkiye into a producer of innovative technology. H.E Mr. President Erdoğan officially launched Bilişim Vadisi in 2019, and it now has 311 enterprises, including Togg. Bilişim Vadisi also has campuses in Istanbul and Izmir, with the purpose of developing a “Mega Technology Corridor” in technology and innovation. Bilişim Vadisi, which focuses primarily on civilian technologies, conducts activities in fields such as digitalization, software, and gaming, as well as creating a new ecosystem with entrepreneurs.

The following companies received awards from H.E. Mr. President Erdoğan at the ceremony:

Industrial Companies with the Highest Employment Growth:
Ford Motor Company Koç Holding Automotive Group – Haydar Yenigün, President
Özka Tire Rubber Inc. – Mehmet Şerif Kanık, Chairperson of the Executive Board
Brisa Bridgestone Sabancı Tire Manufacturing – Haluk Kürkçü, CEO
Prometeon Tire Group Türkiye – Lale Cander, Chairperson of the Executive Board

Top Industrial Exporters:
Turkish Oil Refineries – Koç Holding Automotive Group – Haydar Yenigün, President
Sarkusyan Elektronik Bakır – Sevgür Arslanpay, General Manager
Posco Assan TST Steel Industry – Ali Kibar, Chairperson of the Executive Board
Nuh Cement Industry – Tevfik Bilgin, Chairperson of the Executive Board

Industrial Companies with the Highest Turnover:
Turkish Oil Refineries – Koç Holding Automotive Group – Haydar Yenigün, President
Yıldız Integrated Wood Industry and Trade Inc. – İsmail Hakkı Yıldız, Chairperson of the Executive Board
Kroman Steel Industry Inc. – Şaban Kemal Saraç, Member of the Executive Board
Tezcan Galvanized Building Components Inc. – Deniz Tezcan, Member of the Executive Board
Erdemir Steel Service Center – Gürtan Damar, Chairperson of the Executive Board

Industrial Companies with the Most Female Employees:
Ford Motor Company Koç Holding Automotive Group – Haydar Yenigün, President
VIP Clothing Ltd. – Halil Akbaşoğlu, Co-Founder
Namet Food Industry – Faruk Kayar, Chairperson of the Executive Board
Kent Foods Limited – İhsan Karagöz, Deputy Chairperson

Technology Companies with the Most Job Vacancy:
Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group Inc. (Togg) – Gürcan Karakaş, CEO
IBTECH – Mehmet Kürşat Demirkol, CEO
FEV Türkiye Automotive and Energy – Taner Göçmez, CEO
Logo Software – Akın Sertcan, General Manager

Top Exporting Technology Firms:
GE Marmara Technology Center – Meryem Aybike Molbay Arsan, General Manager
Eczacıbaşı Monrol – Şükrü Bozluolçay, Co-Founder
Temax – Tamer Cankurtaranoğlu, Founder

Technology Companies with the Most Investments:
Büyütech Technology – Alpaslan Işıklı, Co-Founder
Saykal Electronics – Yücel Saykal, Founder
Eravis Software – Çağkan Ekici, Co-Founder

The Most Active Venture Capital Funds in Türkiye:
Techone – Aziz Dostgül, Managing Partner
500 İstanbul – Arın Özkula, Co-Founder

The Most Active Angel Investment Funds in Türkiye:
Keiretsu – Duygu Eren, CEO
TR Angels – Hüseyin Karayağız, Co-Founder

Türkiye’s Most Active Crowdfunding Platform:
Fonbulucu – Hakan Yıldız, CEO