Turkish startups, Silicon Valley thought leaders to discuss avenues for global entrepreneurship at PARISOMA on February 5
SAN FRANCISCO — January 26, 2015 – Istanbul Technical University’s (ITU) Technology Park, ITU ARI Teknokent and Sente-Advisory Services today announced the upcoming ITU GATE San Francisco Demo Night, How Entrepreneurs from Abroad Are Disrupting Silicon Valley. Nine successful Turkish startups selected by ITU and ITU ARI Teknokent’s “Entrepreneurship Ecosystem,” a program to promote the nation’s economic development and innovation, will present and discuss their strategies for international growth. The Demo Night will be led by a panel of Silicon Valley thought leaders who will also participate in a discussion moderated by Heather Somerville, business reporter at the San Jose Mercury News.
The event will take place at open space incubator PARISOMA in San Francisco, and will showcase Turkish B2B tech startups as they pitch their companies to guests and a panel featuring Babur Ozden, Founder and CEO of MAANA, Zafer Younis, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at 500 Startups and Founder of The Online Project, David Charron, Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Laboratory at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and Ramsey Chapin, investing partner at True Ventures.
Turkey, a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation at the intersection of Europe and Asia, has developed a vibrant domestic startup community with deep ties to the North American investment community. How Entrepreneurs from Abroad Are Disrupting the Silicon Valley will feature a discussion with top Bay Area investors, CEOs and academics to discuss opportunities for international growth and the infusion of talent within the U.S. economy.
“This January, nine companies in our ITU GATE Program will meet with international investors in Chicago and San Francisco,” Kenan Colpan, CEO of ITU ARI Teknokent said. “With ITU GATE, we hope that Turkey’s technology-based SMEs will enter international markets, emerge as global brands, and become success stories by generating economic value for Turkey.”
Participating startups:
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AVCR – mobile app developer of Funimate, an easy-to-use video editing program on iOS that incorporates innovative effects for short video loops.
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Bodru – a cloud-based, B2B platform that facilitates internal communication between employees to keep better track of customer activities.
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Borda – a software developer that builds and integrates radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware and software into hospitals, providing real-time solutions for the more efficient use of assets and personnel.
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Ingenious – a smart home company that develops centralized household appliance control systems. First place winner in 2013’s Intel Challenge Turkey.
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Invent Analytics – a business analytics SaaS company that specializes in retail merchandising, planning, inventory, and supply chain management.
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Nanokomp – a developer of a continuous production line that produces low-cost, thermoset-based prepreg tapes for industrial heat shields.
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SBS – a company that creates solutions to unlock the health potential of bee products, including royal jelly, pollen, honey, and propolis, a hive sealant that has been known to increase energy and boost the immune system.
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Sentromer – a developer of real-time, DNA-based food testing kits that are targeted at food safety and diagnostics.
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StockGround – a proprietary equity research platform that provides stock analysts with powerful tools to monitor and analyze financial data and news more efficiently.
Seating will be provided, and light refreshments will be served.
For more information, directions to Parisoma, or to register for the event, please visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-entrepreneurs-from-abroad-are-disrupting-silicon-valley-tickets-15051406161?aff=pr1
About ITU & ITU ARI Teknokent
Istanbul Technical University (ITU) has created the “ITU Entrepreneurship Ecosystem” to encourage the role of entrepreneurship in national development and continues to build on 242 years at the forefront of technical progress in Turkey. ITU ARI Teknokent is the Technology Park of ITU and works closely with startup companies to improve research and development on advanced technologies in Turkey. The ITU ARI Teknokent hub is situated in the heart of business life in Istanbul with over 160 companies and 5,200 employees.
About the ITU Gate Accelerator Program
The ITU Gate Accelerator Program, powered by Sente-Advisory Services, began with 17 startups selected for 6 weeks of business education and mentoring in Istanbul. After a Demo Day in Turkey, 9 startups were selected to execute business development and fundraising plans in the US. The startups spend 3 weeks in Chicago at the coworking space 1871 followed by 1 week here in San Francisco with a Demo Day at PARISOMA on February 5th.
About Sente-Advisory Services
Founded in 2008, Sente provides incubation and accelerator services to startups in Turkey and other emerging startup ecosystems. Sente facilitates entry into US markets for startups with strong opportunities for business development and fundraising.
About Parisoma
PARISOMA is a space where ideas meet execution. We cultivate an experimental environment through coworking, events, and education. Founded in 2008 by the international innovation agency FABERNOVEL, PARISOMA is one of California’s first coworking spaces and has been home to more than 500 founders, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.
Media Contact
TriplePoint PR for ITU ARI Teknokent
sente@triplepointpr.com
415.955.8500
Alyx Evans 
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