Growth Circuit: two decades of Yeni Fikirler Yeni İşler, growing with a new-generation entrepreneurship ecosystem
Run successfully since 2005 through the collaboration of ODTÜ (METU), ODTÜ TEKNOKENT and the Elginkan Foundation, the Yeni Fikirler Yeni İşler programme (YFYİ — New Ideas, New Businesses) is bringing more than twenty years of experience together with a new ecosystem and continuing under the name Growth Circuit.
A pioneer in Türkiye’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, Yeni Fikirler Yeni İşler has, since its founding, helped grow a culture of entrepreneurship among younger generations, turned innovative ideas into technology-based companies, and supported young technology ventures in growing sustainably. Under the main sponsorship of the Elginkan Foundation, and with the long-standing support of our partners and investors, the programme achieved an important first for technology entrepreneurship in Türkiye, enabling a great many founders to turn their ideas into business models and into sustainable companies.
Today we are bringing the experience of that history together with ODTÜ’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem and with the Growth Circuit ecosystem. This combination builds a more integrated and more capable structure — one that supports not only the development of ideas, but the founding, growth, scaling and commercialisation of technology ventures. Our new-generation accelerator, Growth Circuit, carries the entrepreneurship and innovation mission that Yeni Fikirler Yeni İşler has held since its founding into the future, with the aim of growing together with founders.
From experience to strength, from idea to growth
The Growth Circuit accelerator no longer centres solely on developing a good idea, but on turning high-potential technology ventures into sustainable companies and accelerating their growth journeys. Through Growth Circuit we aim to give founders access to the right connections, experienced mentors, an investment perspective, and the ecosystem resources that will support their growth.
One of the programme’s key goals is to turn Türkiye’s potential in technology entrepreneurship into enduring, sustainable companies.
As in previous years, Growth Circuit will encourage business ideas that have reached a certain maturity and carry commercial and scaling potential to be directed toward public funding such as TÜBİTAK’s Individual Young Enterprise (BiGG) Support. The aim is to strengthen founders’ access to the financing they need and to contribute to the effective and efficient use of public resources.
In the long term, our goal is to help increase the number of companies that are focused on technology and innovation, able to open into global markets, capable of sustainable growth, and earning foreign currency for Türkiye.
With ODTÜ’s scientific and entrepreneurial depth, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT’s technology and innovation ecosystem and the investment experience of ODTÜ Yatırım Fonu, we will continue to support founders on the journey from idea to product, from product to company, and from company to sustainable growth.
Growth Circuit continues with the goal of being an ecosystem where not only new ideas, but the technology companies of the future, grow.
