PharmUp entrepreneurship program completes fifth cohort

PharmUp, an entrepreneurship program launched in 2019 through a partnership between Sanofi and Endeavor to develop innovative healthcare solutions in Turkey, completed its fifth cohort. The program's new graduates presented their projects to investors at a Demo Day held on 12 June at Sanofi Turkey's headquarters. Muhammed Gündoğdu, founder of AIvigo, which operates at the intersection of wellness and online therapy; Göksel Çinier, co-founder of CorPal, which provides evidence-based solutions for chronic disease management using cutting-edge technology; Zülal Tannur, founder of From Your Eyes, which converts videos, photos and documents into text and provides personalized AI-generated descriptions; Altuğ Güzeloğlu, co-founder of Medicasimple, a patient tracking application created for medical offices and clinics; Doğa Özdengülsün and Yunus Berfu Özcan, founders of MediTechLabs, a platform that automates healthcare documentation processes through artificial intelligence and voice recognition technology, thereby saving hospitals costs and doctors time; and Egemen Tavşancı, founder of RareSum, a decision-support platform developed for physicians to shorten diagnosis time and increase accuracy for rare diseases, all had the opportunity to present their projects to investors and industry representatives at the PharmUp Demo Day. The sixth cohort of PharmUp entrepreneurs also had the opportunity to experience VivaTech, the International Start-up and Technology Fair held in Paris from 22 to 25 May 2024. As every year, the fair this year brought together startups from all sectors and parts of the world, innovation professionals, investors and institutions from around the globe.

Cem Öztürk, Country Head of Sanofi Turkey and Head of Core Products for Turkey, Africa and Middle East, commented as follows on the matter;

"We take great pleasure in supporting entrepreneurs from all fields who can develop solutions to unmet needs in healthcare through the PharmUp Program since 2019. Among the applying startups, those selected for the program with their innovative ideas are also invited each year to the VivaTech Fair, one of the world's most important entrepreneurship events, before Demo Day. This year too, PharmUp entrepreneurs had the opportunity to be part of a wonderful environment and network at VivaTech, the international startup and technology fair. At today's Demo Day event, I congratulate our startups who shared their program experience and the progress they have made on their projects with the ecosystem, for the contribution they will make to the sector and human life."

Emre Kurttepeli, Board Chair of Endeavor and Founder and CEO of Mynet, made the following comments;

"We know well how important it is in the current period, especially in the healthcare sector, to pave the way for impactful entrepreneurs and to make them aware that they have support mechanisms beside them. Through programs and projects we have carried out over the years for different sectors and entrepreneurship stages, we have seen that entrepreneurs going through similar stages and processes are nourished not only by workshops and training, but also by sharing knowledge with each other. On the other hand, it has always been our priority to conduct work in the ecosystem that is entrepreneur-centric and aimed at collaboration and creating impact. At this point, moving forward with a partner like Sanofi, with whom we share common goals, is a great opportunity for us and a very positive experience, so we are extremely pleased to run the PharmUp Program for the fifth time together with Sanofi. I thank all the mentors and partners who supported us throughout the program and extend my congratulations to the startups selected at Demo Day." he said. Muhammed Gündoğdu, founder of AIvigo, one of the sixth cohort startups, who stated that the PharmUp program, run in partnership with Sanofi and Endeavor, provides significant added value for entrepreneurs, said: "The training and mentoring support implemented within the program scope help us understand the sector better on the one hand, and on the other hand, expand our knowledge on critical issues such as scaling or product-market fit. The VivaTech Fair participation in Paris provided us with a unique opportunity to see our global competitors and evaluate the sector more accurately."   The PharmUp Entrepreneurship Program, which offers important opportunities for healthcare technology startups, has been running since 2019 in partnership between Sanofi Healthcare Products Company and Endeavor Association, which supports successful technology entrepreneurs worldwide.