The 11th edition of the New Ideas New Businesses (YFYİ) competition, organized in collaboration between Middle East Technical University (METU) and METU Technopark, showcased a variety of interesting projects.
In YFYI 2015, where 22 projects competed in two categories, IDEA and PRO, the OSTIM USA Camp Special Award went to The Light team for their project, ‘Light-Emitting Coatings on Large Surfaces’.
YFYI stands out as a technology-based entrepreneurship competition where projects that will advance Turkey's entrepreneurship ecosystem compete. YFYI also serves as a platform that brings together promising technological projects with the real sector and investors.
In the competition where ideas are transformed into projects and products, projects were evaluated in IDEA and PRO categories. IDEA was the category for all aspiring entrepreneurs who did not yet have a company but had a creative idea. The PRO group included companies that were established less than 3 years ago.
In the final, which was watched with great excitement by students, academics, businesspeople, bureaucrats, and managers from various cities of Turkey, the winning projects were determined by jury and public voting after the presentations. The winning teams received their awards from representatives of the sponsoring institutions.
The Goal: Million-Dollar Companies
METU Technopark General Manager Mustafa Kızıltaş stated that they are working within METU Technopark to achieve their goal of creating 'million-dollar' companies from Turkey by 2020.
Brant Cooper, Silicon Valley's most widely read author and lean startup expert, offered tips to aspiring entrepreneurs. Cooper shared his experience and insights on the importance of understanding what just one person in the target audience expects from a product before launching it, and designing the product based on that understanding.
METU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar emphasized that the role of universities is to contribute to the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Recalling that the Young Entrepreneurs and Innovation Program (YFYİ) has been running for 11 years, Acar shared that there were around 1200 applications this year. Thanking the supporters, Prof. Dr. Acar said, “OSTİM especially supports young people and existing entrepreneurs. We have been together for a long time, thank you.”
The traditional production structure must change
OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın stated that 5,200 entrepreneurs operate in the region. Aydın said, “We need to change the region's traditional production structure with the knowledge and skills of the new world. We have been involved in YFYİ for 8 years. We benefit greatly, learn, gain energy, and update ourselves. I thank everyone who contributed. I congratulate the winners.”
“THE OSTIM AWARD INCREASED OUR RESPONSIBILITY”
The Light, which won the OSTIM USA Camp Special Award and the second place award in the public vote in the competition, brings a new perspective to lighting technologies with its projects. The team consists of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Anutgan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tamila Anutgan, and Prof. Dr. İsmail Atılgan.
Responding to our questions about the project and future plans, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Anutgan said, “This award has further increased the responsibility on our shoulders. We will continue to work even more diligently to bring high value-added, advanced technological products to our country.”
Could you introduce yourselves?
We are experienced academics, Tamila Anutgan and İsmail Atılgan, working together at Karabük University. Thanks to this award we received from Mr. Orhan Aydın, the President of OSTİM, we will have the opportunity to participate in the US Camp and present our project in Silicon Valley.
Can you summarize your project?
We manufacture lamps. This might sound a bit unassuming. You might say, "Is this your world-changing invention?" But this lamp is very different from the lamps produced today. The lamps we are used to—the ones used in homes, offices, cars, and even on the streets—all emit very intense light from a very small area. This intense light from the source enters our eyes directly. Just like on a sunny day, even if we don't look directly at the sun, we have to squint slightly. So why do manufacturers still produce these small lamps? Of course, not because they prefer to; because they are forced to produce them this way.
So what could be an alternative product? That's where we come in. What if we could get all the light you get from a small lamp from a much larger surface, for example, from the entire ceiling of your living room? This kind of production isn't possible yet, but if you stretch your imagination a bit, you'll see that we're facing an opportunity that will impact many areas, from lighting technology to architecture, from decoration to display technology.
Our product's thickness is 300 nm, not counting the 1 mm thick, ordinary glass underneath; that's about 1/100th the thickness of an average human hair. Furthermore, unlike other LED lamps on the market, our coatings can be produced at temperatures as low as 200 degrees Celsius. Therefore, we spend less money producing such a lamp than we do baking a cake at home.
How did the project originate and develop?
The idea for this project was born during my doctoral studies at METU (Middle East Technical University). My doctoral thesis focused on obtaining light from silicon, a material that normally does not emit light. There is a great deal of research in this area.
In our research, we reached a level where we could produce all the layers in our LED with the most optimal properties. However, we were still struggling to pass a high current through the LED. Of course, if you can't pass current through an LED, you can't produce light. To solve this problem, we made some changes to the properties of the thin layers that make up the LED.
Towards the end of my PhD studies, we were able to achieve high currents from LEDs. The light emitted from these first LEDs was in the infrared region and therefore invisible to the naked eye. However, by modifying the production conditions of the active regions within the LED, we were able to produce LEDs in various colors such as white-blue, white, yellow, and orange. Currently, we are continuing our R&D and academic studies on the product's working mechanism and efficiency.
Do you have a set timeframe for commercialization and branding?
We are currently continuing the R&D process for our product. We want to acquire a new production system. This will allow us to carry out more professional productions and move from the pre-prototype stage to the prototype stage. We aim to produce our prototype within approximately 18 months after the installation of our new production system.
We will add value to all commercial products where our product is used. For example, let's say you are a ceramic manufacturer producing bathroom tiles. Roughly speaking, the cost of a 60x60 cm bathroom tile is 1 lira, but you sell it for 2 lira. Now, let's say we coat the surface of this tile with our light-emitting coating. The cost of the new tile might be 1.2 lira, but the selling price of such a tile will be 4 lira. Because instead of a lamp that bothers your eyes in your bathroom, you will have a product that will make you happy in terms of both decoration and visual comfort. Many more similar examples can be given. In short, we can make any surface emit light.
If we want Turkey to reach the level of developed countries, it needs to become capable of producing high value-added products like ours independently. Why shouldn't a Turkish company be among the world's leading LED manufacturers like Philips, Osram, Samsung, LG, Cree, and Nichia?
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is mostly about dreams. Those who can't see what you see might think you're crazy. That doesn't matter. You will continue on your path with those who believe in you. If you want to change the world, you need to believe in it before anyone else. However, there's an important point to remember: education is crucial. What you dream of might have already been done by others; it might even have been proven ineffective. You have to follow this in international literature. I'm not saying you should follow them, but be aware of what others are doing.
How did it make you feel to receive an award from OSTİM?
While we were working at METU, we used to go to OSTİM for various reasons. If something broke in our lab, we'd go straight to OSTİM. I also know friends who graduated from METU and opened offices in OSTİM. It's very encouraging that OSTİM, which is the heart of production and industry in Ankara, supports such a competition. We are very happy to receive such an award from OSTİM. However, this award has increased the responsibility on our shoulders even more. We will continue to work even more diligently to bring high value-added, advanced technological products to our country.
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