Haber Dosyaları
Speaking at the TEPAV Entrepreneurship Policies Conference, Jonathan Ortmans said that for entrepreneurial success, networking and perseverance were more important than capital.
ANKARA – The 2nd TEPAV Entrepreneurship Policies Conference was held on Thursday, 21 November 2013. The keynote speaker of the conference was Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Kauffman Foundation Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Delivering the opening remarks, TEPAV Director Güven Sak said that successful entrepreneurs in Turkey were not celebrated enough, and that the Turkey 100 project, coordinated by TEPAV, aimed to fill the gap. TEPAV was willing to continue with the project and to identify, write about, and present the success stories of entrepreneurs.
Ortmans recommended technical assistance over grants and funds
Ortmans said that, as part of the Week, a series of events and activities were being carried out in 140 countries to celebrate entrepreneurship and offer entrepreneurs a platform for networking. He stated that, contrary to the common view, having access to capital was not the most important element for entrepreneurship; rather having a strong team, network, and a grounded scientific setup were essential. Stressing that less than one percent of new American startups had adequate capital, he said persistence was more important than success or failure. A false perception existed that grants and funds were needed for entrepreneurship. He recommended technical assistance to create an ecosystem that fostered entrepreneurship.
Referring to the results of the Kauffman Foundation survey of entrepreneurs conducted in 109 countries, including Turkey, he said that scores for entrepreneurial environment were significantly more positive in Australia, Oceania, and North America; and significantly more negative in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe.
The conference continued with the panel session moderated by Mete Çakmakçı, Secretary General of the Technology Development Foundation of Turkey (TTGV). The participants in the session on entrepreneurship in the world and in Turkey were TEPAV Director Güven Sak, Kauffman Foundation Global Entrepreneurship Week President Jonathan Ortmans, World Bank Economist Jose Reis, and Viveka–Garaj Program Director Ece İdil Kasap. The panel discussion was followed by a question and answer session.
Please see Ortmans’ presentation, below, and his Global Entrepreneurship Week blog and Turkey report at this link.
