At the Meleklerin Gunu 2 event, which was held for the second time this year, leading names with experience in the sector met with more than 200 investors who want to invest in angels.
Aiming to provide the support needed by early-stage startups, helo! brought the entrepreneurship ecosystem together with the Meleklerin Gunu 2 event. Leading names of the investment industry, investors and entrepreneurs who want to invest in angels came together on Meleklerin Gunu 2.
We have previously shared with you that Meleklerin Gunu 2 will be held on Wednesday, November 30th. In the event that we also attended, experienced angel investors shared their experiences in the sector with the participants at the panels held within the scope of the event. Meleklerin Gunu 2 is expected to contribute to the inclusion of more angel investors in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
At Meleklerin Gunu 2, Turkiye’s leading angel investors and fund managers shared their experiences with those who want to be angel investors. At the event held in Kolektif House Levent on November 30, 2022, names who have experience in the investment sector and are active angel investors came together with more than 250 participants who want to invest in angels. At the event, the general course of the Turkish ecosystem, corporate entrepreneurship, the legal dimension of investments and the future of the sector were discussed.
In the event, where the leaders of the sector such as Ersin Pamuksuzer, Ahu Buyukkusoglu Serter, Tugrul Agirbas and Serkan Unsal took part as speakers, sessions titled Interaction of the Institution with Entrepreneurs, Planting Seeds for the Future: Experienced Angels, Investing in the Future and Investing in a Sustainable World were held. Participants followed the presentations of entrepreneurs seeking investment for their ventures in the field of technology. In the networking section at the end of the program, many names in the ecosystem had the opportunity to interact.
Meleklerin Gunu 2 opening speech helo! CEO and Co-Founder Orhan Bayram said, “We are very happy to hear firsthand the experiences of the leading names in the industry on this special and meaningful day. helo! operates as an entrepreneurial platform that provides various services to investors and investment institutions in their investment processes and supports entrepreneurs with the programs it has developed. Today, with Meleklerin Gunu, we aim to contribute to the participation of more angel investors in the sector by sharing experiences and processes related to angel investing. I wish it to be a day when we, as stakeholders in the ecosystem, get away from the daily rush and gain achievements from different journeys.”
Serkan Unsal, the founder of startup.watch, who spoke at the session titled “An Overview of the Turkish Enterprise Ecosystem”, shared some important data with the participants while making evaluations about the course of the sector. Serkan Unsal said, “When we look at the Turkish ecosystem, we will probably finish in a position close to last year or slightly above last year in terms of balance sheet. If we look at the data for this year, we see that 350 investors participated in at least one investment round. When we evaluate gaming and fintech investments, an all-time record was broken in fintech. Investors have invested $89 million in fintechs alone. We can say that the amount of investment has decreased worldwide.”
“Entrepreneurs need to be optimistic realists”
Speaking at the session titled “Sowing Seeds for the Future: Experienced Angels”, TheLifeCo Founder Ersin Pamuksuzer said, “In my understanding of angel investing, mentoring is at the forefront and investing is in the background. On the investor side, the identity of the other entrepreneur gains importance at the point of new ventures. In my understanding, entrepreneurs need to be optimistic realists. Only such entrepreneurs can achieve success. Anyone who is overly optimistic will likely fail. Initiatives need to be able to follow the spirit of the times. My advice is to respect their profession rather than their opinions. Entrepreneurs should take a stance that will convince angel investors by dominating the ecosystem more.”
Sharing her experiences in the same session, Arya Women’s Investment Platform Founder Ahu Buyukkusoglu Serter said, “We invest in people in angel investing. However, we see that the most important factor supporting the founders is the teams. A founder who carries you forward and attracts attention may experience failure at very small points in business processes. I think it is valuable to have teams that complement each other. On the investor side, entrepreneurs are expected to be performance-oriented, knowledgeable and clear. Even if it is a 5-minute presentation, it is very important to explain the essence of the work quickly. We can state that the key point in investment talks is that startups fill in some questions that could potentially be asked.”
Tugrul Agirbas, President of Entrepreneurial Institutions Platform, who spoke at the session titled “Interaction of Institutional with Entrepreneurs”, said, “We are trying to turn institutions into entrepreneurial institutions. We are trying to grow collaborations in the startup ecosystem by learning from each other. Can you leave the institution and become an entrepreneur? I want to set an example for people by seeking an answer to this question in my own adventure. Everyone becomes a mentor and investor after gaining the necessary experience. I took a different path and focused on testing entrepreneurship.”
Source: Egirisim / Translated by Irem Yildiz