Within the scope of Entrepreneurship Week and March 8 International Women’s Day, the strong bond between academia and entrepreneurship becomes visible once again at Sabancı University. Sabancı University faculty members Prof. Dr. Burcu Saner Okan and Dr. Günet Eroğlu stand out as two prominent figures who contribute to transforming scientific knowledge into social and economic value by turning their academic research into technology ventures. Prof. Dr. Burcu Saner Okan, who brings her work in materials technologies to industrial applications through her venture Euronova, and Dr. Günet Eroğlu, who realizes her academic research on brain signals and learning technologies through her venture Auto Train Brain, are conducting exemplary studies that demonstrate how knowledge produced in academia can meet the real world.
Academic Research Transforms into Ventures
Prof. Dr. Burcu Saner Okan states that behind the idea of transforming her academic work into a venture is the desire to turn technologies developed in the laboratory environment into applicable solutions in real life. According to Saner Okan, it is of great importance that scientific knowledge is not limited solely to academic publications, but meets with industry to create social and economic value. The work she carried out with this motivation over time turned into ventures that allow the developed technologies to be scaled and transferred to industrial applications. During the entrepreneurial process, one of the significant turning points was making the technology applicable on an industrial scale and ensuring investors’ confidence in the project. Saner Okan emphasizes that in entrepreneurship, not only developing technology but also creating the right business model and a strong business plan plays a critical role.
Scientific Knowledge Transforms into Social Benefit
Dr. Günet Eroğlu’s entrepreneurial journey, on the other hand, took shape during her academic studies on brain signals, EEG analysis, and learning difficulties. After realizing that the knowledge produced in academia is often confined to laboratories, Eroğlu stepped onto the entrepreneurial path with the idea of transforming this knowledge into technologies that could touch the lives of individuals with learning difficulties. The Auto Train Brain and NeuroSphere projects she developed during this process turned into a platform offering personalized learning solutions with AI-supported neurofeedback technologies. According to Eroğlu, academia and entrepreneurship are not two separate fields; on the contrary, they are two powerful ecosystems that nourish each other. While academic research enables the development of new technologies, entrepreneurship allows these technologies to find a response in the real world.
Advice to Young Women Entrepreneurs: “Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams”
Both academics point out that the entrepreneurial journey is a long process requiring patience, determination, and openness to learning. Prof. Dr. Burcu Saner Okan, stating that growing a venture requires effort and continuity, advises young women not to give up on their dreams and to focus on their goals despite the difficulties they encounter. Dr. Günet Eroğlu emphasizes that the hardest step in entrepreneurship is often starting. According to her, taking action instead of waiting for a perfect plan and learning along the way is one of the most important dynamics of entrepreneurship.
The work carried out within the scope of the SUCool ecosystem at Sabancı University continues to contribute to the strengthening of the entrepreneurial culture by transforming the scientific knowledge developed by academics into innovative ventures.
