Looking to guide startups on their global journeys, Turkey’s first domestically produced car brand is taking its mobility acceleration program to the international arena.
Automobile Joint Venture Group (Togg), the consortium developing Turkey’s indigenous car, has announced a cooperation with the world’s largest innovation platform to launch its Mobility Acceleration Program.
The cooperation looks to support international startups in many areas, from mentoring to financial consultancy.
Plug and Play has 400 corporate partners in the heart of the Silicon Valley as well as in four continents, 20 countries and 39 offices.
Togg will also be a member of STARTUP AUTOBAHN, an open innovation platform supported by Plug and Play, and will take an active role in the field of mobility together with global players.
Addressing the STARTUP AUTOBAHN Expo 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany, Togg CEO Gürcan Karakaş said startups are an important part of new technology solutions in the mobility ecosystem.
"Companies relied heavily on their own R&D (research and development) units 5-10 years ago, but with start-ups, technological innovation has reached an unprecedented speed," Karakaş said.
"Startups that take bold steps with their agile business models take fast action and transform sectors. Startups also play a critical role in shaping the mobility ecosystem. The sector creates a window of opportunity for new players to emerge, while collaborations with new players allow us to create sustainable value," he noted.
"The Mobility Acceleration Program we are launching with Plug and Play is an important step we have taken to support startups, a very important element of the ecosystem."
"We are the rare mobility ecosystem application platform in Europe in a real sense."
Karakaş said in June the company participated in Vivatech, Europe’s largest technology and startup event, and conveyed their startup approach.
"We also had the opportunity to engage with startups with Mobility Park by Togg, which was located in the center of the event. As a company that is preparing for global competition, we will continue to be involved in all kinds of efforts that will improve the mobility ecosystem not only in our country but also internationally."
Plug and Play Turkey Director Lale Gozübüyük said the innovation platform "will be happy and proud" to share with Togg an experience that encompasses not only global automotive companies but many other sectors, mainly mobility, as well as the opportunities it has developed.
"Togg aims to be much more than a car. Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform, will be happy and proud to share its experience and opportunities that extend not only to global automotive companies, but also to many sectors, especially mobility, with Togg on this long journey," Gozübüyük noted.
Cooperation with Türk Telekom
Plug and Play is known in Silicon Valley as the acceleration program that most successfully matches technology startups with giant companies in the vertical industry.
Making the best innovation-oriented pairing of technology startups with global giant companies in the heart of Silicon Valley, Plug and Play collaborated with Türk Telekom, one of Turkey's leading information and communication technologies companies, last year.
It mediated the transfer of initiatives from Turkey to the center of technology. With the latest cooperation, mobility initiatives will also have a similar opportunity.