Biyodizel ve İlk Girişim Hikayesi | Evren Değerlier | TEDxVizyon Koleji Youth

Quick Overview

Evren Değerlier shares his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing that success in ventures like his first biodiesel plant required overcoming significant obstacles, leveraging external knowledge from mentors, and embracing an open mindset, contrasting it with the closed, internal R&D approaches of older companies.

Key Points: Evren Değerlier presented his entrepreneurial story, titled "Bağlantı Çağı" (The Age of Connection), at TEDxVizyon Koleji Youth. He cited H.W. Chesbrough's concept of Open Innovation, noting that many leading 20th-century firms relied on closed R&D, which is now inadequate. Değerlier's first major project was Turkey's first biodiesel plant, which involved securing a 4.2 M€ investment and facing challenges like a canceled pilot test and partner disagreements. He contrasted the closed approach (like the gold mining firm Goldcorp) with the open approach exemplified by Linus Torvalds, who shared Linux openly. Değerlier mentioned that his father initially worked at a high-tech center in Austria before returning to Turkey to start the biodiesel plant. The presentation also referenced the Medici family's role in the Renaissance as patrons of art and science, highlighting the importance of supporting creative endeavors. He concluded by emphasizing that good ideas and beauty will manifest when exposed to the 'sunlight' of the external world, contrasting this with Plato's cave allegory.

Context: The speaker, Evren Değerlier, discusses his career trajectory, starting from his education in Chemical Engineering at YTÜ in 2001, and details his entrepreneurial experiences, particularly focusing on establishing Turkey's first biodiesel plant. He frames his narrative through the lens of open innovation versus closed innovation, using historical and modern examples like the Medici family and Linus Torvalds to illustrate the necessity of external connections and knowledge sharing for success.

Detailed Analysis

Evren Değerlier narrates his entrepreneurial path, starting with the realization that closed innovation models, common in 20th-century companies like Goldcorp, are obsolete, contrasting them with open innovation exemplified by Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux). He recounts his personal involvement in establishing Turkey's first biodiesel plant, a project that required overcoming significant hurdles, including securing a 4.2 M€ investment, dealing with a canceled pilot test, and resolving conflicts among partners. He notes that the project was heavily influenced by his father, a chemical engineer who had worked in Austria. Değerlier emphasizes the importance of external collaboration, citing the Renaissance patrons like the Medici family who fostered multidisciplinary talent (artists, architects, scientists) in Florence, acting as a central hub for innovation. He questions the audience about their perspective on reality, quoting Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' to suggest that our reality is often built from dreams and sleep, urging them to look towards the 'sunlight' of the external universe for true understanding and goodness, rather than remaining confined. He concludes by stressing that the greatest achievements, like his biodiesel plant, come from embracing this open, connected approach.