SUCool Connect 2026 Lays Groundwork for Long-Term Business Partnerships

SUCool Connect 2026, designed to bring together different actors in the entrepreneurship ecosystem to generate new possibilities, was held at Sabancı University's Altunizade Campus. With a sustainability theme, SUCool Connect 2026, through its selective participation structure and interaction-focused content, was positioned as a strategic platform that goes beyond idea sharing and creates ground for long-term business collaboration.

SUCool Connect 2026, which brings together Sabancı University's entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, was held at the Altunizade Campus with strong attendance. Under the 2026 theme of "Sustainability," SUCool Connect 2026 aimed to bring together investment, entrepreneurship, academia and community components in a single flow, creating a shared perspective and interaction space for 2026. SUCool Connect 2026 brought together over 120 qualified participants from different areas of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through its selective participation structure, content depth and interaction-focused program design, the event went beyond being merely a platform for idea sharing, serving as a strategic platform that opens pathways to long-term collaboration and strengthens a sense of shared direction within the ecosystem.

Aiming to create a shared sense of direction for 2026
Ziya Alpay, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Sabancı University, noted in his opening remarks that the entrepreneurship ecosystem is passing through a critical threshold. Highlighting the importance of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors coming together physically, Alpay said: "SUCool aims to increase interaction, strengthen experience sharing and create a shared sense of direction for 2026. Investors, mentors, academia and entrepreneurs meeting on the same platform, sharing knowledge and supporting ventures to develop in healthier ways plays an important role." Alpay also emphasized collaboration in his remarks. "In a period when access to financing has become difficult, combining the strengths of mentors and investors together with entrepreneurs will make the ecosystem more resilient," Alpay stated. He also added that Inovent, Turkey's first technology transfer office established with a joint-stock company model, is entering its 20th year and has continued to contribute to the entrepreneurship ecosystem since its founding.

445 entrepreneurs graduated from pre-incubation and acceleration programs
At SUCool Connect 2026, attention was drawn to the fact that entrepreneurship programs at Sabancı University have been continuously maintained since 2014, and important information was shared about the university's entrepreneurship ecosystem's 2026 vision, new programs and structural steps. So far, 445 entrepreneurs have graduated from pre-incubation and acceleration programs run under the SUCool umbrella. Support was provided to approximately 10 startups selected each year in financing and customer access matters. In the last three years (2023–2025), 58 entrepreneurs from the SUCool ecosystem qualified for TUBITAK support.

Entrepreneurship initiatives extended to high school level
The event also provided information that the Technology Development Center (TEKMER) project, conducted with KOSGEB and targeting support for a total of 150 enterprises, has reached its final stage. Attention was drawn to the fact that entrepreneurship initiatives conducted within Sabancı University since 2014 have now been extended to high school level, and it was emphasized that within high school entrepreneurship and acceleration programs, the goal is for young people not only to generate ideas but also to turn these ideas into practice.