Mentorship Program EİB Export-Up Begins

EİB Export-Up Mentorship Program Launches EİB Export-Up, Turkey's first export-focused mentorship program for young and women entrepreneurs launched by Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri with support from TurkishWIN, İş Dünyası ve Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Derneği (SKD Türkiye), EMCC (European Mentoring & Coaching Council), Binyaprak and Endeavor Türkiye, has begun its second cycle. Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi drew attention to the fact that while the number of SMEs in Turkey stands at around 4 million, the number of exporters is only around 120,000. "We need to enable companies to reach a level of knowledge where they can export 30 to 50 percent of their products and create the groundwork for conducting our exports with high value-added products. We can achieve our target of 250,000 exporters by including equipped young and women entrepreneurs in exports. Our young and women entrepreneurs will become competent figures in exports through programs like EİB Export-Up and when they become exporters, our high value-added quality product exports will increase. This needs to become state policy. In this way, we can quickly increase Turkey's average export price from USD 1.50 to USD 3. When we raise our average export price to USD 3, our current exports will reach USD 500 billion." Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri Coordinator Chairman Jak Eskinazi recalled that EİB was the first Exporters Association in Turkey to design a mentorship program and continued: "In the first cycle of the EİB Export-Up Mentorship Program, we received tremendous interest and very positive feedback. Thanks to EİB Export-Up, our young and women entrepreneurs implemented exports for the first time, established commercial ties with many countries, improved their business processes and expanded their networks. As EİB, our core mission is to support sustainable development. With our motto 'Future exporters believe in the power of experience,' we have launched the second cycle of our EİB Export-Up Mentorship Program with enhanced content."

The world's new development agenda: "sustainability"

Eskinazi, stating that they have determined the main theme of the program as "Sustainable and Green Growth," emphasized that EİB participates in every initiative on sustainability and gender equality. "We will examine sustainability, the world's new development agenda that is changing our commercial relations with the latest trends and the EU Green Deal process, together with our young and women entrepreneurs operating in the sustainability field. Among our mentors this cycle are companies producing organic textiles, operating digital waste management platforms, using agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles to reduce pesticide ratios, reduce water consumption and enable effective monitoring and evaluation of agricultural land, conducting R&D for energy transfer equipment with energy-sharing network software, producing environmentally friendly and healthy plant-based alternatives to animal food products, conducting energy efficiency and clean energy use work, transforming food waste, and conducting environmentally conscious production through good farming practices. As Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri, a pioneer in sustainability among Turkey's exporters associations, we have substantial knowledge and experience to pass on to our entrepreneurs."

Pioneer exporters in sustainability will provide mentorship

Jak Eskinazi stated, "Eight young (under 40 years old) and women exporters seeking to begin exports or increase capacity from the dried fruit, ready-made garments, textiles, software/automation, furniture, aquatic products and animal products, cereals legumes and oilseeds, olive oil and chemical sectors will receive mentorship from our Board member mentor exporters who are pioneers in sustainability and from expert figures. As EİB, we are expanding and broadening our entrepreneurship circle with new stakeholders. On this path we began with TurkishWIN, in our second cycle we are adding SKD Türkiye and Endeavor Türkiye to our team to take more comprehensive and stronger steps." he said.

Young and women entrepreneurs achieving success through EİB Export-Up

Speaking at the opening program of the second cycle of the EİB Export-Up Mentorship Program, Ege İhracatçı Birlikleri General Secretary İ. Cumhur İşbırakmaz said, "As EİB, we are continuing our activities on sustainability and gender equality in 2023 as well. In the second cycle of the Export-Up Mentorship Program, which we organized for the first time last year, we will aim to contribute to the export capacity of women and young exporters seeking to begin exports or develop their capacity, supporting a total of 8 beneficiaries for 6 months under the supervision of our experienced mentors in their sectors. The Export-Up Mentorship Program, which started with a total of 18 beneficiaries from different sectors in the first cycle, had also led to many success stories."

Target market identification, global marketing strategy, e-export, start-up culture, next-generation state incentives

İşbırakmaz said, "One of our young participants whose automation company returned to exports after 6 years, and one of our women participants whose newly established textile company began its export life through the Export-Up Program. Within the program, as in the previous cycle, in the new cycle, through training on target market identification, global marketing strategy, e-export, start-up culture and many instruments included in next-generation state incentives, we will increase our participants' competencies and support gaining new exporters to our export family."

EİB Export-Up Mentorship Program second cycle mentors:

TIM Board Member, Ege Dried Fruit and Products Exporters Association Board Member Birol Celep, Ege Aquatic Products and Animal Products Exporters Association Vice President Melih İşliel, Ege Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association Board Member Gürhan Kanlı, Ege Furniture Paper and Forest Products Exporters Association Board Member Cüneyt Başbakkal, Ege Cereals Legumes and Oilseeds Exporters Association Board Member Burak Hucuptan, Ege Ready-Made Garments and Confection Exporters Association Audit Committee Member Yasin Akçakaya, PETKIM Petrochemicals Marketing Manager Dr. Mevlüt Çetinkaya, Triggerz Managing Partner and Foxpider Managing Partner Entrepreneur Erdem Gülen. For detailed information, applications and frequently asked questions, click here.