US firm seeks to find IT prodigies in Turkey

The Turken-Prestige Scholarship, the joint project of the Turken Foundation and COMODO Group Inc. – an information technology (IT) firm based in Clifton, New Jersey – aims to find and assist local students through scholarships for advanced degrees at universities in the United States. COMODO Group CEO Melih Abdülhayoğlu spoke to Daily Sabah about his professional journey and the Turken-Prestige Scholarship.

Daily Sabah: COMODO is an IT company whose origins lie in Antakya and whose value is $5 billion in the U.S. As founder and CEO of the company, could you tell us about the history of COMODO?

Melih Abdülhayoğlu: Well, starting a business in the United Kingdom, especially a high-tech company in North England, wasn't easy. I spent the early years building a company that could generate enough profit to fund the vision of securing the Internet. The vision that started it all was the desire to protect the Internet. Because I believed and still do believe – more so now – that the Internet will help humanity experience another industrial revolution of some sort. So, I needed a lot of money to invest in making this dream a reality. As such, I needed to make sure the company generated all this in order to enable me to help protect the Internet. I spent the first five-to-seven years being an "entrepreneur," getting things done and taking some market share from competitors. Once I achieved that, I focused on the future of the company by developing new technologies to secure the Internet.

D.S.: Currently, COMODO cooperates with world-famous brands. Could you give some examples about the projects that you worked on in cooperation with such brands?

M.A.: We work with many brands such as Intel, Time Warner, the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) and even [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama's campaign during his elections. There are many companies who are security-conscious and choose to protect their enterprises and customers. That's why they come to us because they are responsible and they care about their security. We have more than 40 percent of global market share.

D.S.: COMODO supports young people who want to improve themselves to excel in the field of technology. In this sense, how did you come up with the idea of the Turken-Prestige Scholarship?

M.A.: When our kids travel abroad to learn about other cultures and educate themselves, they have no support system to back them up. They are courageous to take on the challenge of living in a different country with different cultures without the support of their family. I supported this initiative because I believe in the young generation of Turkey

D.S.: What is the scope of the Turken-Prestige Scholarship Project?

M.A.: Turken is doing an excellent job of creating a secure support system for our youth abroad. I was impressed by the infrastructure they have. Turken is continuously working to improve the support infrastructure that such youth living abroad have. Trying to give our kids a "smooth landing" when they are abroad is a very important way to help that many appreciate. However, Turken wanted to not only provide safe accommodation and living standards but also enable our kids to start a life abroad by engaging with companies there that can offer scholarships. Comodo is involved in ensuring our youth are provided this safe passage to a professional life by working with Turken.

D.S.: What is the contribution of this project to Turkey's economy?

M.A.: That's a very good question. What if this project resulted in creating a future Steve Jobs? What if this project resulted in a new industry in Turkey? Our hope is to train and educate the future professional of Turkey, and as a believer in our youth, I am sure they will grow our economy in countless ways.