Business Pitch Competition

Meet the Members: Waad, a Food Entrepreneur with a Creative Take on a Hometown Specialty

Meet the Members: Waad, a Food Entrepreneur with a Creative Take on a Hometown Specialty

Waad was a teacher for 14 years in Palmyra, Syria. “Palmyra is very famous for dates which are filled with other ingredients and sold to tourists.” In 2016, she fled the country and settled in Mersin, where she had siblings. She was always actively looking for opportunities to learn the Turkish language and develop her skills, which is how she came to learn of the LIFE Project.

As a creative chef in homemade desserts, Waad was initially interested in the LIFE Project to build her marketing skills.“The business pitch competition itself was a very big step for me to take; it developed my character and allowed me a chance to meet people.”

Meet the Members: Saleh, a Syrian Restaurateur Entering Turkey’s Sweets Industry

Meet the Members: Saleh, a Syrian Restaurateur Entering Turkey’s Sweets Industry

Saleh is a food entrepreneur from Deir ez-Zor, Syria. After graduating from the Technical Institute for Tourism and Hotel Sciences in Syria, he worked in Sham Palace and other hotels for twelve years. Almost four years before the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, Saleh opened his own restaurant for pizza and sweets along with all kinds of juices.

Forced to leave his home country, Saleh moved to Turkey in 2016. “I came straight to Mersin as I had friends before me settling here and their feedback in general was always positive about this city. I [then] worked in restaurants in Mersin.” As Saleh realized that the market demand in Mersin focused more on delivery services than restaurants, he transitioned to Turkish sweet shops.

Pitch Perfect: Five Tips for Designing Effective Business Pitch Competitions for International Entrepreneurs

Pitch Perfect: Five Tips for Designing Effective Business Pitch Competitions for International Entrepreneurs

From Consortium Partner The William Davidson Institute (WDI) at the University of Michigan

Pitch competitions can be an invaluable component of entrepreneurship development programs. Preparing for a final pitch competition can keep participants motivated throughout the program as they work towards presenting their businesses to an engaged audience. While pitch competitions offer a clear benefit to winners — such as cash prizes, investments and consultancy services — benefits also accrue to those not selected for an award.

Fourth Istanbul Business Pitch Competition

Fourth Istanbul Business Pitch Competition

The fourth cohort of LIFE Entrepreneurs in Istanbul included 29 food entrepreneurs from four countries. Each cohort culminates in the Business Pitch Competition, in which graduates have the opportunity to share their food business ideas with a panel of industry experts for a chance to receive seed funding to start and scale their businesses.

First Mersin Business Pitch Competition

First Mersin Business Pitch Competition

In 2019, the LIFE Project expanded our entrepreneurship incubation program to Mersin, a port city in southern Turkey with a thriving food industry. At the Business Pitch Competition held for the first cohort, 23 entrepreneurs from Turkey, Syria and other communities competed to receive seed funding to start and scale their food businesses in Mersin.

Meet the Members: Fatma, a Yemeni Baker in Istanbul

Meet the Members: Fatma, a Yemeni Baker in Istanbul

“The LIFE Project mentors me and gives me direction,” she explained from the LIFE Food Enterprise Center in Istanbul.

Fatma joined the inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs for four months of incubation, during which she got a crash course in food entrepreneurship and navigating the regulatory environment in Turkey.