OUR STORIES
Belkız Sünnetçioğlu
BizBizze Entrepreneurship Program 2018 Fall Term Participant
After my education in ITU Tourism Department, I started my professional career in 1990. Thanks to Marmara University, Applied Jewelry Technology Department, where I graduated in 1998, I opened the doors of the profession I always wanted in my heart. In 2006, I opened my workshop near the Grand Bazaar, where thousands of years of jewelry tradition was passed down from generation to generation.
I completed education on 16th century Forms at the Turkish Decorative Arts Workshop at Topkapı Palace. Jewelery is a very traditional and old sector that includes many specialties. I tried to learn its language in order to exist in this industry. I used Traditional Turkish Arts and many trainings I received in different disciplines in my designs. I produce even the most complex forms in a simple, linear and humorous language. I started to be known as a name designer with special letter characters that I initially shaped using wires. Today, I continue to create jewelery with a unique language by blending materials such as gold, diamonds, colored gem stones, pearl and coral stones. On the one hand, I continue to produce my designs in the workshop, and on the other hand, I give consultancy on the colored stones and diamond in line with the trainings I have received. I am a HRD Antwerp Diamond consultant. I have been working on ISTANBUL for the last two years. She passionately combines the historical heritage of a fascinating city like Istanbul in her jewelry. ‘My collection, which consists of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs, is getting richer every day. It became a multi-piece collection in itself, and it continues to enrich.’ ‘We live in the Grand Bazaar, a very precious area where art and commerce have been held for centuries. That is why being a woman entrepreneur in the Grand Bazaar makes me proud. I want to guide those who come after me. I attach importance to women being more active in jewelery because the strong future of jewelery will be established by strong women.’
Gülçin Bilgin Gezer
BizBizze Entrepreneurship Program 2018 Fall Term Participant
I graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Economics in 2010. I moved to London after 2 years working in the marketing area in Turkey. I did a Master of Science in Marketing Communication and Advertising. I continued my working life as Project Manager and Marketing Manager in market research and finance start-ups in London. I founded the Sihirli Yolculuk company in 2017, after 1 year of remote management I returned to Turkey in May 2018 and now work full-time for Sihirli Yolculuk.
The idea of the Sihirli Yolculuk arose about 3 years ago from our search for a gift that is different and will support the development of the child on the way to a children’s birthday. When we went to the birthday party, we saw that everyone had given very similar presents. In fact, at all baby shower or birthday parties, always the same clothes and toys were given as gifts. Then we thought about what we could do differently, to make the child feel more special and like to hide, not throw away after a year. The book is always one of the most useful and beautiful gifts. We have created a special gift alternative that is creative, supports child development and is special with personalized children’s books.
Tuğba Türker Höbek
BizBizze Entrepreneurship Program 2018 Fall Term Participant
I am a software developer. I have approximately 3 years of experience in my profession. During this period, I worked at the digital advertising agency and finally worked as an instructor trainer at the Bilişim Garajı. With many freelance jobs, I have earned my money and developed my skills and experience. I am a person who believes in personal development and takes great pleasure in self-improvement. I care about all kinds of new things I have learned and before I met entrepreneurship I didn’t know that this view is a profession and a lifestyle. I got acquainted with entrepreneurship thanks to the training given by TOBB in the Women Who Write the Future contest, where I took part as a finalist.
Now, I have a great passion to continue my life with every day development, new jobs and new ideas. My path crossed with the BizBizze Association in this quest.
I joined the “Women Who Write the Future” platform, organized in cooperation with Turkcell & TOBB. I took place as a finalist with my idea. I had many chances and opportunities.
The problem of inefficient and compulsory flow of our lives on the roads every day has revived Apptoway as a business idea in my mind. With Apptoway, I ensure that your daily routine journeys are enjoyable and lively with a new story every new day of your location. These stories are historical, artistic and completely real. All are dramatic, funny and romantic stories that you’ll say Wow! when you listen. They belong to us and to our culture. At the same time, the places closest to your location and places to visit are also given in a list. I did my market research with the information I learned from TOBB and its supplementary books. I completed all the steps and brought my business idea to life. It is currently on the Google Play and App Stores.
Derya İzgür – Human Art
BizBizze Entrepreneurship Program 2019 Fall Term Participant
I studied Stage and Performing Arts Management at Bilgi University. 2 years after I started working at Platform Garanti (now Salt), I founded the contemporary art gallery called NON. NON achieved an international success in a short time and I participated in important art fairs of the world such as Frieze NY, Frieze London, Art Basel Miami and List with NON. I collaborated with famous museums and art centers such as MoMA NY, New Museum, Center Pompidou, Maxxi and sold my works to their collections.
The events I have performed have been interpreted in media such as Paris Review, LA Times, New York Times, New Yorker, Frieze, Art Forum. In 2013 I became the face of Wallpaper that introduced the city as Istanbul insider.
After ending my 7-year gallery life in 2015 with burnout syndrome, I spent two years completely turning inside myself. I looked for ways to reach a higher version of life and myself as an upgrade. In this process, I researched, compared and applied methods in the world on subjects such as personal development, business management and leadership, healthy living and fitness, human relations and different lifestyles. I have set up Human Art as a reference system that will contribute to this lifestyle in order to contribute to the shortcomings I see in these sectors.
Since 2017, as Human Art, we have organized more than 100 trainings with more than 5000 participants and different trainers at Zorlu PSM. In 2019, we started to organize the same trainings in cooperation with DasDas. The collaboration that started with Carnival in 2018 for Human Art podcasts has evolved into Radyo Human Art to be opened in 2020.
Human Art aims to bring together sector players online and offline in parallel with the global transformation. Its aim is to be the Yemeksepeti or Airbnb of transformation in the field of workshops, individual sessions and corporate trainings. My work with BizBizze enabled me to prepare this initiative for the investment process. After the training, I met with some of the BizBizze trainers and had the opportunity to ask questions specific to Human Art and work with them. With the mentorship support, I develop strategies to strengthen the Human Art community, while also getting ready to join BizBizze mentors in the areas where I am active.
Araks Tomayan - MOA Design
BizBizze Entrepreneurship Program 2018 Fall Term Participant
I am a Computer Engineer, first worked in a corporate firm and then in a family company. I retired a few years ago. After retiring in 2017, the idea of establishing my own business started to form in my mind. It is very important for me to buy personal gifts that will make my loved ones feel special and to make them happy. However, when most of the products in the market are similar and generally of Chinese origin, and the different ones are very expensive, I said why I am not doing anything and started to draw on the loincloths produced in our country with traditional methods in 2017. After a while, I prepared unique, personalized, functional, high quality, affordable and natural textured products by combining them with the bags I drew in the same pattern and started selling them on Instagram. So I created Moa.
I design and present products such as loincloths, bags, tablecloths, runners, and pillows drawn and painted by hand with Moa.
At a time when I started thinking about how to grow my business upon the increase in the domestic and international demand for my products, I learned about the BizBizze entrepreneurship program with an Instagram post.
I had some questions marks in my mind about how I should move forward. When I joined the BizBizze program, I believed I was in the right place at the right time. I became more motivated by seeing the confirmation that what I have done so far with the trainings I have received is correct. I met women with high energy, I saw how strong individuals we are against challenges and that I am not alone in what I went through. All the trainings I received enriched both my perspective and my knowledge on the subjects.
Esin Noyin
BizBizze Entrepreneurship Program 2018 Fall Term Participant
I was born in Denizli in 1988. After graduating from Yeditepe University International Relations and International Trade and Management departments with high honors, I completed my master’s degree in Supply Chain Management at Istanbul University. I started corporate life during my postgraduate education. I worked in supply chain departments of Joker, ebebek and Hayat Kimya respectively. While my corporate life continuing, my sweet son Demir was born in 2017. In the same year, I left the company I was working for to set up my own enterprise.
Believing in signs, not coincidences in life, with Demir’s inspiration I decided to create the Baby Foodie brand, which could be a solution for mothers with babies. When creating this brand, I aimed to benefit parents who have adopted healthy eating and living as their philosophy of life, and who know the importance of feeding their babies in an organic and nutritious way.
Baby Foodie, which was established in January 2019 after months of research, tests and support of experts in this field, aims to benefit parents who have adopted healthy eating and living as a philosophy of life, and who know the importance of feeding their babies in an organic and nutritious way.