Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Emphasizing that TOBB ETU is among the best young universities in the world today, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “At this point, we should all be proud of TOBB ETU’s achievements. Fortunately, every day, we are proud of the achievements of our TOBB ETU students, more than 10,000 graduates and professors. I follow them all; from Tesla to Apple and even TOGG, our graduates are doing successful work in world giants. With the education they received at TOBB ETU, our graduates passed the exam of the New York Bar Association and became lawyers in the USA. We have graduates who have been accepted to the College of Europe, one of the most prestigious schools in the world. Our TOBB ETU teams came in first place in TEKNOFEST 2023, which took place last semester. Recently, our students ranked first in the world in the aircraft engine design competition organized by the “American Aerospace Institute.” Our Faculty of Medicine is doing well. It entered the top 3 in the Medical Specialization Examination in a short time. In recent periods, both TUS and KPSS winners came out of TOBB ETU. I do not enter politics. I advise young people to be entrepreneurs. They did not listen to me. Some of our graduates have been elected as deputies. We also have the youngest deputy in the Parliament. There are also bureaucrats and administrators from TOBB ETU. Now, when I go to the Ministries, I see TOBB ETU graduates. How nice, TOBB ETU is turning into a big network.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the world is undergoing a great change and that it is extremely important to follow this process closely and adapt to it.

Hisarcıklıoğlu talked about their recent activities and said, “We are establishing a Technopolis within TOBB ETÜ to support high technology investments. We want to see our valued entrepreneurs here. In the field of quantum, as TOBB ETU, we have established a Quantum Laboratory with ASELSAN. As a result of our work, Türkiye’s first quantum computer will hopefully be produced at TOBB ETU. You can be proud! The R&D of Türkiye’s Automobile TOGG was carried out on this campus. We are a university with an entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial spirit. We show this by breaking new ground at every opportunity.”

Referring to the importance of entrepreneurship, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that the solution to prosperity and unemployment is entrepreneurship, and that the world’s 10 largest economies are the 10 most entrepreneurial countries.

Pointing out that there is a great entrepreneurial potential in Türkiye, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that there are approximately 600 million entrepreneurs in the world, and that approximately 100 million startups are born every year, and said, “60% of these were established with zero capital. In the past, one idea, one computer was enough. Now I have a question for you: What is the most valuable land in the world? The most valuable land is at our fingertips. The cell phone. This screen. Take advantage of this opportunity at your fingertips.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that more than a thousand TOBB ETU graduates have started their own businesses and wet on: “Here you see what kind of entrepreneurial potential we have. The key to wealth is here. As I always emphasize, money is not the real capital in this era. Everything starts with dreams. It is the only place where we have no limits. It is the area where we are the freest. Forbes’ 2023 billionaires list includes 15 people under the age of 30. As long as you dream, set goals and work!

Secondly, you need to be a brand. You will set out to make a brand! When you become a brand, both your reputation and your earnings increase. If we want to win in this era, you will make your product, your city, your country a brand!”

Stating that Andrew Carnegie’s grave reads “Here lies a man who employed people smarter than himself”, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the importance of building a good team.

Hisarcıklıoğlu asked the students to adopt the culture of partnership, saying that those who do not know how to share cannot own anything, and that there is grace and prosperity together.

“We have to be innovative,” said Hisarcıklıoğlu, “We were raised to iterate. This is the era of invention. Bring new customs to the old village. This is the era of technology. You must bring technology into every business. One out of every 4 employees will be unemployed in the coming years. Artificial intelligence will be your biggest competitor. We are living in the era of high technology. 7 of the 10 most valuable companies in the world are technology companies.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu conveyed to the students the principles he had adopted as his motto: “Not more work; more saving,” “Honesty is the trick of business,” “Check first, then trust”, “Those who rely on their memory are always wrong,” and “There is no make-do in business.”

Giving advice to the students, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Get out of your comfort zone. Be conscientious in everything you do, in every environment you are in; Be just. Work for a world where the just is strong, not the strong is right. Never give up reading and researching. Be the hero of your own story, not someone else’s. Most importantly, do not marginalize anyone because of their language, religion, identity, opinion or ethnic origin.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “As our leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, to whom we are eternally grateful, said; ‘Great achievements come about with successful young people raised by valuable mothers.’ That is you. We trust and believe in you.”