Welcome to our journey with Workup Rise & Leap, where we're taking Turkish startups to new heights in the UK's vibrant market. It's an eight-week adventure filled with learning, networking, and growth. Our mission is simple yet powerful: to give these startups the tools and connections they need to expand and thrive internationally.

We're excited to share the successes and experiences of our startups as they navigate this program. It's all about building bridges—connecting fresh ideas from Turkey with the bustling opportunities in the UK. Join us as we take a closer look at how Workup Rise & Leap is opening doors and what it means for the future of these trailblazing entrepreneurs.

The Workup Rise & Leap program is designed to equip startups with the resources, guidance, and connections necessary to scale and succeed in the UK market. The program is divided into two phases: the first four weeks encompass acceleration and workshops in Turkey, followed by international growth activities, investor sessions, and events in the United Kingdom. The program aims to host 9 entrepreneurs, merging local expertise with international opportunities to create a robust platform for startups to expand their horizons and maximize their growth potential.

The program is strategically partnered with Hackquarters, İşbank, and Ankara TEKMER due to their exceptional expertise, extensive networks, and profound understanding of the Turkish and global startup ecosystems. These partnerships will play a vital role in ensuring the success of the "Workup Rise & Leap" program. 

The Turkey Phase – Laying the Foundation

The journey began with an onboarding meet-up to clarify the program goals, UK network, expected outcomes, and what will be required of participants. It established the foundation for all the following sessions. The first training session, led by Kaan Akın from Hackquarters, delved into "Identifying Bottlenecks and Preparing for Scale." The training session spanned critical areas like operations management, resource allocation, and scalability planning. This proactive approach empowered the startups to anticipate and navigate potential obstacles, ensuring a smoother scaling process.

We continue our training session with "Experienced Sharing Session" by Şahin Çağlayan from Faradai and İdil Öztekin from Comet London. They shared their insights and narratives. Their stories of triumphs and trials resonated with the participants, offering inspiration and practical advice on raising funds and thriving in a competitive market.

Next training session was "Investment Landscape and Pitching to UK Investors; Regulatory Compliance and UK Business Etiquette" led by Mehmet Başaran, The session armed the startups with crucial knowledge about the investment climate in the UK. Crafting compelling pitches and understanding the nuances of UK business etiquette were central themes, preparing startups to engage effectively with potential investors and business partners.

The last training session before going to London was "Great Pitches Start With Change". It was a session dedicated to refining pitching art. Startups had the opportunity to practice and perfect their investment presentations under the guidance of Şafak Tüfekçi from ScaleX, ensuring that their value propositions were communicated clearly and compellingly.

The workshops and training sessions were more than just learning experiences; they were incubators for action. Startups emerged with detailed, actionable plans to penetrate the UK market, equipped with the tools to measure and iterate upon their progress. This phase of the program ensured that when the startups arrived in the UK, they would be in an optimal position to execute their international growth plans effectively.

The London Launch – Immersion and Networking

As our startups touch down in London for the next exciting phase of the Workup Rise & LEAP program, we kicked off the London journey with an intensive onboarding session on 30 November at Level 39 . Our startups received a detailed rundown of the next four weeks. They familiarize themselves with the program details and set their goals for the upcoming weeks.

Our first training session, "The Story Telling x Presence," led by Amy Tez, focused on the art of captivating storytelling as a powerful tool for persuasion and impact. Startups learned the significance of presence – both in their narratives and physical demeanor – as they prepared to pitch to potential investors and partners. Each of our startups took the stage, one by one, to practice their pitches. Amy Tez guided them on how to refine their messages, answer potential questions, and build confidence. 

The next day, a key session with London & Partners, RSM UK and Joelson allowed the startups to gain valuable insights into the London startup ecosystem. This included learning about key players, emerging trends, and the wealth of opportunities available. London & Partners, known for their expertise in helping international businesses grow in the city, provided a roadmap for startups to navigate the London market.

We concluded the first week of our UK journey with an unforgettable event on 3 November with over 100 participants: The Rise & Leap Scale Up Networking Event! Our startups showcased their innovations to a select audience of UK investors, mentors, and industry leaders. This wasn't just a pitch session but a golden opportunity for our startups to shine, attract investment, and establish partnerships that could be instrumental in their UK journey. We completed the first week with the founder's dinner on Saturday.

The first week in London was a testament to the program's commitment to providing startups with a holistic experience that melds learning, preparation, and strategic networking. This phase was not just about immersion; it was about positioning the startups for sustained growth and success in the UK market. As the program continues, these early experiences will prove invaluable in the startups' journey toward scaling up and creating a lasting impact.

And, meet the our groundbreaking startups:
B2Metric: is the unique customer journey analytics platform that gives you self-service predictive marketing insights with smart personalizations, so you can increase retention, revenue, and growth rates.

Co-one: offers data-centric solutions to enhance the top-tier performance of AI algorithms by facilitating access to high-quality, reliable, and traceable data through processes such as data collection, labeling, cleaning, and verification.

Enqura: is a super fast ID Verification platform including Identity card, face verification and multi factor customer authentication, based on Enqura's state of the art “AI on Mobile Edge” technology.

Heybooster: is an analytics platform that simplifies complex data processes for eCommerce marketing teams, ensuring maximum return on advertisement investment.

Homster: is a software that allows homebuyers to visualize their future homes according to their tastes, creating a virtual tour for making conscious and secure purchase decisions.

Kompanion: is a company specializing in preventive healthcare solutions, empowering individuals to make daily choices that improve their overall well-being and quality of life.

Livad: is a live stream engagement and monetization technologies for creators.
Magnus: is a platform that provides optimal asset allocation in line with the risk profile, expectations, and constraints of investors by offering an artificial intelligence-based portfolio optimization and robo advisory platform.

ONLAYER:  is an end-to-end merchant life cycle platform for acquirers, streamlining onboarding, fraud and risk monitoring, ensuring compliance and reducing data breaches through regulatory adherence.

Let’s Innovate Together!

The Workup Rise & Leap program is on its way, and we're excited about the journey our startups are taking. It's a path filled with learning, growth, and new connections. For all the details about what's happening with the program, check out the program website.

We're all about working together to make big things happen. If you want to be part of this story and help innovative startups grow, get in touch. Let's see how we can make a difference together.

Visit our website and stay updated on this exciting journey. Let's rise to new challenges and leap into new opportunities.