Hello Dr. Şeval Karada and listening to fearless leaders in health. We are here to go beyond the fear barrier and explore the future of health together because fearless is lead with a heart full of love and passion. Explore perspectives through my eyes as a physician and entrepreneur and through the stories of trailblazing founders, investors and innovators unfiltered, unafraid and unstoppable. Let's dive in.
Today, I have someone with me who most people cannot fit into a single frame, and that is exactly why he is here with us. Hakan Aran, the General Manager of Türkiye İş Bankası, but his story doesn't start there. He was born in Antakya in 1968. He graduated from METU Computer Engineering and joined İş Bankası as a software expert in 1990. So he started by touching code, not the vault. 30 years later, at the top of Turkey's first national bank, equal to the Republic. Now, our listeners might ask. What is such a high-level bank executive doing in a health technology podcast? However, Mr. Hakan is not just managing a bank. In his own words, 'Banks are now turning into technology companies.' He is building a venture capital ecosystem with Maxis, investing in health technologies and artificial intelligence, and has even led and contributed to an initiative called Livvel to make sudden deaths not a matter of fate. Mr. Hakan, welcome to Fearless Leaders in Health. And I want to say this clearly. This episode will be a bit of a surprise for us. Because people usually don't know that a banker is so involved with health technology and heart health. Today, we will lift that curtain together. Let me add a small note. I met Mr. Hakan at the Koç University Anatolian Scholars Gala Night, and frankly, it was a very nice meeting. Anatolian Scholars is a scholarship program I am also a graduate of. I am already grateful to everyone who listens to this episode, is curious about the program, researches it, or even wants to contribute. Mr. Hakan, welcome.
Thank you very much for accepting our invitation.
We prepared questions under four different headings. We are starting with our first question.
How would you introduce yourself? Please, we are asking for a sincere introduction, not your LinkedIn version. Because one of our podcast's mottos is to be unfiltered. Yes. So, since you said not the version, I can define myself as an entrepreneur with an entrepreneurial spirit, always trying to do things with young people, sometimes trying to support them, sometimes leading them with their ideas. Because my most prominent feature, looking back so far, has been working with excitement around new ideas, around new projects. Whatever I do, the element of innovation has always excited me. Therefore, if you ask me to define Hakan Aran in an extraordinary way, I would say I have an entrepreneurial spirit.
Thank you.
You were born in Antakya in 1968. Does the childhood there still live inside the leader who is the General Manager of İş Bankası today? What does your hometown mean to you?
Well, of course, I didn't spend my childhood in my hometown. I was born there and immediately after that, my childhood was spent in Isparta. Middle school and high school were in Konya. So Antakya is a summer resort where I went in the summers, where my aunts, my aunt, my grandmother were, and since my parents worked in the summer, I usually spent my summer holidays there. It's like a summer resort. At that time, Antakya was very hot, so people went to the highlands. I knew the highland side more. When you say childhood, Isparta is always vivid in my eyes. So, being from Isparta was a very enjoyable childhood. It's a small place, but you can do everything to your heart's content. Even when playing hide-and-seek, you could hide all over Isparta. Think about it. There is no limit to the place. It's not a neighborhood or anything. So, the thing I have carried from childhood to this day is still that organization. Organizing things with other children. If we are going to have fun together, play football, or organize any competition, being able to challenge another neighborhood, another street, being a team. And within yourselves, that team has a competitive side. So, looking at the common traits carried from childhood to this day, that organizational spirit, the spirit of acting as a team, and competitiveness are the traits that have come from that time to this day.
Very nice.
We didn't know these details, of course. About our childhood in Isparta.
Most people probably don't know, since we don't talk much and usually continue with the LinkedIn profile.
Isn't it? There's a difference here.
Well, actually, while talking about Antakya, I saw a news item about you and I want to ask something about it. After the February 6th earthquake, we have a common story there. Since I am also from Adıyaman, which are two cities heavily affected by the earthquake, I saw a news item where you mentioned women entrepreneurs continuing to produce in tents there. How did seeing your hometown in that state affect you?
Well, that really, not just me, but anyone who saw Antakya's state after the earthquake, whether from the hometown or not, it was a scene that pierced the heart, caused pain, and it was impossible not to shed tears. It was a scene that truly made people cry. Lives were lost, and only rubble remained from a city. Looking at the lives that were gone, and the city after that, I wondered if it would stand up again? How long would it take? Which parts would stand up? Which parts wouldn't? When I looked at it, I said it would take 5 years for people to find a place to live, for Antakya to stand up again and for workplaces to open. But for Antakya to recover with its historical texture and history, I said 15 years. That was my first impression. Life wouldn't start before 5 years. And Antakya wouldn't be Antakya before 15 years. Imagine such a huge disaster. Now I go there regularly. Just 2 months ago, I was there again. Let me say this now. It has recovered very quickly. Seeing parts of the historical texture I gave that 15-year timeline for, seeing those historical mosques and places regain their old identity so quickly surprised me a lot. It's progressing faster than I thought. I would like to thank both the governor of Antakya and the mayor, and all the sponsors who contributed to Antakya's recovery, from the bottom of my heart. They have worked very hard. And they are moving fast. I hope we will overcome that initial pessimism. Antakya is recovering beautifully.
As humans, our will to hold on to life.
Yes. Yes. Strong. Yes. And they are working beautifully. I am very happy to hear these things. I also saw similar things in Adıyaman, and when I saw it, most of the rubble had been cleared, and in fact, new buildings had taken their place. I would also like to thank the sponsors and mayors who supported Adıyaman. With this example I got from you, our next question is about METU Computer Engineering. You graduated in the 1990s. You graduated in 1990. At that time, computer engineering was probably a new department. Was computer science very common? I want to ask that too. Also, for a graduate engineer to enter a bank was actually an unusual thing. Why did you choose engineering and then why did you choose the bank? What do you think your young family was looking for at that time?
Yes. Actually, there is an answer to this question. It has a very clear and concrete answer. Computers were not common, but the first examples of computers were starting to enter homes one by one. A Sinclair and Commodore computer had entered our home. At that time, Sinclair 32K and Commodore 64K. Our generation knows that. You don't. You grew up with more modern ones. These were the first gaming computers to enter Turkey. Since we had them at home, I would try to learn their programming. And the Milliyet newspaper used to give programming supplements at that time. When I coded what was written in the supplement and saw the result on the TV. At that time, there were no screens. You connected the computer to the TV. And you saw the result on the TV. And seeing that the programs worked excited me a lot. The part about becoming a computer engineer is the power to do and bring to life something you think of, something you design. This was very interesting to me and I saw it as a great power. The ability to solve any problem and develop a solution just by writing code excited me a lot. I said I must become a computer engineer. But at the same time, my mother was a banker and she worked at a branch of İş Bankası. So, during the time she worked at the branch, I had the opportunity to observe what they did in the branches. When I combined computer skills with the work done in the branch, I thought banking could be done very easily with computers, and therefore, if I became a computer engineer, I would enter İş Bankası when I graduated. I would make the manual work at İş Bankası done by computers, and people would be relieved. Mothers would also be relieved in this way. They would have more time for their children. So, I directly chose computer engineering. METU is the closest city to Konya, Ankara, and since it's METU, I chose METU computer engineering and then I only took the İş Bankası exams. When I passed İş Bankası, I did these projects. But the answer to the question of why computer engineering and why the bank is very clear for me.
Yes. I think it's a very beautiful story. First, a desire to help your mother. Second, I see a bit of creativity, like creation. I see a problem and I can create a solution for it, and I noticed that you saw coding as an effective tool here. And combining two different things. Actually, most experts today say that innovation is born from the intersection of two different fields. Actually, you combined finance and technology in your mind back then. Your vision today started from that time.
Yes. So, when I entered university, I managed to make such a combination.
Now my question will be exactly about this. In my next question. You have a quote that says 'Banks are now turning into technology companies.' What does this mean in practice? Where will customers feel this? How can İş Bankası users or stakeholders in the İş Bankası ecosystem feel this?
Actually, they are feeling it. They have been feeling it for a long time. One is İş Cep, meaning in the mobile application, they can see that they can do everything. Therefore, being able to do all banking transactions via mobile phone, the interfaces they encounter when they enter a branch, the way technology is positioned in human-to-human relationships, they see it through that. Second, through the entrepreneurship ecosystem, they see entrepreneurs in entrepreneurship branches. How İş Bankası approaches the entrepreneur, how it supports them, what dreams it shares with them, how it supports them through venture capital investment funds, and in which stories the bank can act together. They see this. That's why, for example, a farmer sees İş Bankası not just as a card or a credit product, but as an institution that brings technology that will increase efficiency in agriculture, produce more with less water and less fertilizer. They see it as an institution that brings the entrepreneur together with them and finances them. For example, someone dealing with livestock, thinking about how to get more milk from their cow, how to get higher quality milk, sees how much the bank contributes by introducing them to someone and providing those tools. Therefore, our customers see this in their own lives, from entrepreneurship to agriculture, in two different spectrums. And I think the most natural way for a bank to transform and show its technology face to its customer is this. Because your customer, technology is a cold thing. Technology usually scares people. But everyone has a job they do, and when they do that job in an easier and more understandable way, and when they see how well you use technology as part of that interaction, it changes that perception. 'Ah, İş Bankası is a modern bank that uses technology very well and has developed itself.' This is what actually transforms institutions. Your employees start looking at it that way. Your employees communicate like this. In the background, technology investments are made this way, and you look at it in its natural course. For example, I see the most concrete reflection of this in my own life. It's been 4 years now. For 4 years, they have been announcing the ranking of digital brands and digital leaders in Turkey. And İş Bankası, interestingly, is ranked first among digital brands in Turkey, and Hakan Aran is also shown as first among digital leaders. Now, with so many digital companies and technology companies, the fact that İş Bankası is positioned this way is, I think, a part of the naturalness I mentioned and shows how widespread it is. It's truly a great success. And another thing that caught my attention in what you described is that in the example you gave in the agriculture side, which I didn't know was being done, and in the entrepreneurship side, I see that İş Bankası has a mission to provide benefit. Actually, you are also contributing to your customers here. You used a word choice. In their stories, in the writing of stories, we are writing a story together. I think of this as companionship, and actually, a part of large institutions, not all, but a part of them, can lean more towards ownership rather than companionship. But here you are truly providing a concrete contribution and being a companion. I think this might also be a contribution to your being first in that ranking. People must be noticing this. I notice it in the startup ecosystem.
Yes, very much. For example, I am very sure that this is seen by our customers, those who are close to the bank, and those who will evaluate it. But it's interesting that it's also seen by those who are not our customers or our employees. Therefore, the fact that they are also participating in this ecosystem and it has become a public perception, I find valuable. It means that if you do it consistently, not like a flash in the pan, and repeat it over the years, it becomes a lasting perception.
For example, when you met me, you didn't think about health in the context of İş Bankası and health, but after meeting, you saw it. Now, if you heard about an investment by İş Bankası in health, you wouldn't be surprised, for example, in its current state.
Yes. Definitely. It will be in the questions in a bit anyway, that surprise and the experience we had. Actually, I saw it in a news item where you mentioned these investments. I saw that İş Bankası became a partner in a company that developed an AI chip that consumes up to 10 times less energy than Nvidia. And this is also an interesting thing. It's unexpected. Because there are many other investment companies. Here, what motivated you? Why did a Turkish bank, a national bank, get involved in such an investment?
Well, that interest sometimes, some things happen by coincidence or by the combination of a few things. First, we have an innovation center in Silicon Valley, and I go there for a week every year. When I go there, my friend there prepares a week-long program for me. In that program, we visit Nvidia, OpenAI, Netflix, and talk to the people there. We see what's happening there. In one of these, we visited Tesla's AI center. At that time, Tesla hadn't canceled its AI project yet, and I met a Turkish engineer there. Hasan was explaining the features in Tesla vehicles to us during that test drive, showing the codes. He even stopped the car in the middle of the road during the test drive and made us experience the risk and danger, and what could happen if that software didn't work correctly. So, in an interesting way, we see technology not just with its face, not with its cute face, but with the risks behind it. Then this engineer Hasan we met left Tesla and founded the AI chip design company you mentioned earlier. Since he knew me from before, he told me about this project. At that moment, my knowing Hasan, knowing his competencies, listening to his business plan, what he wanted to do, what he needed, I really thought he could succeed and that we, as İş Bankası, should support this. At that time, I offered Hasan, the founder, much more. I said, 'Don't look for an investment round, I will cover all this budget within 2 years.' He said, 'Mr. Hakan, it won't work like that. I must go on an investment round. I need to get from big funds. Otherwise, they will see me as very amateur.' He really went on a professional investment round. The idea was liked by everyone. My contribution ended up being a 12% share. And currently, there are very large funds in America, investors, and indeed, in that period, they managed to make this chip. It is now at the stage of moving to mass production. They made a mass production contract with AMD, acquired a company, and within about a year, this dream is about to become reality. And as İş Bankası, we are partners in this AI chip company with our 12% share, which will be 10 times faster and consume 10 times less energy. I hope the valuations will be very good. Because after this, when mass production starts, investment rounds will begin. Then maybe the IPO, public offering part will come. We will try to reach that happy ending by protecting our shares until then. But generally, the fact that İş Bankası has an innovation center in Silicon Valley, me going there for a week every year, and the relationships established there, is what made this happen.
A very beautiful story. Of course, different things came together. I didn't know that İş Bankası had an innovation center in San Francisco, but I think most people might not know either. It's a great thing in itself. Maybe the fact that it's a Turkish startup and a Turkish engineer is also a separate national support, a very beautiful story. My next question is about AI. Generative and agentic AI is changing a lot of things. You are someone on the technology side, and when you look at this AI wave, what do you think? How do you think it will change things? First of all, finance, but of course, since we are a health podcast, about health.
Yes. I think you are lucky. You are on the right podcast. Because I believe the most critical area that AI needs to change is the health field.
Now, I interpret it like this. Humans, with their natural intelligence and the evolution they have reached so far, have opened a very important critical step. This is copying their own brain and creating its electronic version, its artificial version. Now, a human species that copies the working mechanisms of its own brain, its learning mechanisms, and actually copies its brain, and has managed to code it into a machine. Now, what we need to imagine is this. A brain that doesn't need to fit inside a skull, that can spread into huge data centers, and a hyperscale AI data center that can consume much more energy than the human body's energy. With this capacity, it is no longer possible for humans to compete or cope. Humans have reached their natural limit and copied it. Now, what they need to do next is this. In the health field, in medicine, in studies, they will use this AI, and how the human body and AI technology come together again, and humans will need to integrate a version of AI that can be used more easily and with less energy with the human brain. Therefore, in the studies to be done in the health field, the first place I expect is AI providing personalized health services, applying personalized treatment, presenting personalized development opportunities, from genetic modifications to hormonal modifications. But the most critical thing is that the brain's functions are fully revealed, and the brain's processing mechanism is revealed more clearly through that technology, and if there are things it doesn't know about its own brain, it will reveal them, and it will need to find the answer to the question of how these two work together. Therefore, in the health field, many startups and many things are opening up. AI is creating opportunities in one of the most important areas, health. The other two will be in other podcasts. Space exploration and personalized education. Because at the same time, education processes need to develop with AI so that the human brain's development continues. Otherwise, the current education systems are designed for natural intelligence. Education for AI also needs to be personalized.
Right. Right. Very important points. Movies will come true. Science fiction movies.
Definitely, we are very close now. You have to think like this. The part up to here was the organic part that humans reached with their own effort and hard work. The next part is a bit more hormone-boosted and supplemented, the second part, the second section, and probably in the next section, much more technology use will enter life. And maybe it's no longer a single-planet thing. The steps of a multi-planet life are not only in the health field but also in the space field. That's why I say.
More economy affected between planets, when it comes to transportation, the definition changes a lot, when it comes to workforce, you are not enough, maybe you can be too much for one planet, but you can be too little for two planets.
Right. That was a very nice closing for this question.
I'm moving on to the next question. I read a news item about your desire to be on the side that sets the rules of the game rather than following trends. What kind of rule-setting vision do you have, and in such a deep-rooted institution, new games are also changing, of course. Now we talked about AI. It's a completely different game and completely different rules are coming. Making such changes in such a deep-rooted institution, or a culture, is the corporate culture suitable for this, or do you face difficulties? Is there resistance? While I'm saying that, I meant this. As an institution of this size, following trends is of course very important, but when you follow a trend and apply it in practice to your field or any area you are interested in, when it's an innovative application type, you become the one who defines the trend, not the one who follows it, and many institutions start following you, and you open that path. İş Bankası has always done this in banking. It followed technology. It brought the first ATM to Turkey. So, suddenly, that digital channel, alternative distribution channels, the channel mechanisms were formed. The internet was invented. İş Bankası was the first to start internet banking in Turkey. Internet banking came. The mobile phone was invented. After the mobile phone, mobile banking came. It has been progressing like this, and you are changing the shape of something. The entire sector starts doing it behind you. That's why when you move with large budgets and apply those budgets to the right area, you define the rule, the rule of the game. Then the regulation tries to regulate it. Competitors try to enter that area, and life evolves in that direction. I mean that. And while doing this, there is always a team inside chasing these innovations, and you are excited with them. When you do something new and the customer likes it and the masses start using it, you need to see the results in the balance sheet and support that budget so that innovation can continue. In that sense, it also changes the culture beautifully. It's a beautiful part of changing the culture. Because everyone enjoys their work very much. They are very happy. They say in their CV that they did the first thing in Turkey. They say they did the first thing in the world. And in terms of the value it adds to the person, it has a side that is worth the sleepless nights and the effort. In that sense, the most effortless contribution to the positive development of the culture is provided in this way.
Very nice, I think it was a magnificent answer. I was impressed by the practical application part. Again, as you said, for example, in the health field, I also attend some meetings about new technologies and policies because of my own startup. And everyone there complains about this. We talk about these things, we talk, we can't do it. Of course, in health, it's a much more risky field. Regulations need to be stricter. But, as you said, being an implementer with large budgets, that's a risk. It's a big risk, actually, to take that risk, to implement it, and to be on the side that writes the rules. I think this was very good information for our listeners.
Now I will ask a few more questions about the startup and fund side. You have a fund called Maxis. It was established in 2017. Today, it has reached an asset of close to 500 million dollars, according to the information I reached. Your target has been announced as 1 billion dollars. Why did İş Bankası establish this investment fund with what motivation? Was it something in the DNA of this institution, or was it an innovation brought by you or a manager here?
Well, let me say this. Some things change shape and name over time, but actually, when you look at it, it's something in your DNA, in your genes. Because when İş Bankası was founded, when you go back to 1924, in a country that had just come out of the War of Independence, closed a World War as a loser, and was rising from the ashes, there was no capital, no entrepreneur, and no national bank. Most banking services were done by foreigners, and it was a time when it was said that Turks couldn't do banking. But in our articles of association, it says this. We are not established just to do banking. If there is a lack of entrepreneurs in any field in Turkey, or a lack of capital in that field, we are established with the authority to invest in that field as well. Therefore, yes, this is in the articles of association, in the founding agreement. That's why İş Bankası established a glass bottle factory, and today it owns a glass bottle factory, and established Anadolu Sigorta. The reasons behind these are the same. There are many things we have established and closed. For example, this year is the 100th anniversary of the Koç Group. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary, we reviewed the relationships between the Koç Group and İş Bankası. We looked and saw that, for example, together with Behbi Bey, may his soul rest in peace, may his place be heaven, we established a light bulb factory. The Koç Group and İş Bankası Group established a light bulb factory. We established a factory to produce refrigerator motors together. There is an entrepreneur, there is a lack of capital. We establish it together. Therefore, this is actually being with the entrepreneur. But entrepreneurship is not used like it is today. The entrepreneurs of that time were industrialists. The big industrialists you see today were actually the entrepreneurs of yesterday. But today they are not called entrepreneurs. They are called big industrialists. Now, entrepreneurs, probably in 50-60 years, we will see what they will be called. Yes. That's why the reason behind us establishing this fund is that in today's conditions, in line with the spirit of the time, when you want to support these entrepreneurs, you now have to establish it through these funds. And since İş Bankası cannot give credit in banking, and since the bank cannot be a partner in everything, this venture capital investment fund was established to allocate capital, see what your risk is, see the returns of that, and use the money more economically and correctly. As you said, not just that fund, there are a few more funds like it, and we announced a target of 1 billion dollars. Of course, 1 billion dollars is not just Maxis. We also have funds in America and Amsterdam. Therefore, venture capital investment funds are investing from 3-4 fronts at once. More than 1 billion dollars is allocated to this area. And the reason for establishing it, as I said, is that today's entrepreneurs are probably the big players and giants of tomorrow, and we can finance them from today.
Well, are you satisfied with this decision? The returns.
Very good. Let me say this. I can observe the return. Because I have been in the general manager position for 6 years. At least during my general manager period, there is a section I can measure with its exits. A 3% return per year in an area. So, we don't earn this much from banking. It's an area more profitable than banking.
Very nice. When I looked into it a bit before the podcast, as you said, I came across something. I came across a news item about a fund established by foreign investors with Bioscience Managers, focused on health. I see this as specific to health. I guess it's more biotechnology-focused. And I would like to get some information about this. This might be a more recent development. We will get definite information from you. What is the reason for your focus on health here? As you mentioned earlier, we believe AI will transform health the most.
No, that is actually exactly like meeting the Tesla AI chip engineer, the Turkish engineer at Tesla. In the 100th year of İş Bankası and the 100th year of the Republic, in 2023-2024, we organized two conferences in Istanbul. The conference on 'Atatürk's Vision and the Second Century,' and here we hosted very valuable speakers on how Turkey should approach the second century. Some of our speakers were Nobel laureates. Some of our speakers received the Nobel Prize within 3-5 months after their speech. I hope the speaker who led us into this health topic will also be a Nobel laureate soon. Professor Dr. Gökhan Hotamışlıgil.
Yes. So our professor had a presentation here, and in that presentation, he explained the work he had done, conveyed the challenges faced by science. And as İş Bankası, we believed in his work, and to support him, we actually made this move. Our entry into the health sector was actually because of this. And we established a joint company not only with him but also with Harvard University, Harvard University's Professor Gökhan and İş Girişim, a company called Enila. Professor Gökhan has been working on a cell for many years. There is a protein called E protein B4 in that cell, and this protein causes fat accumulation and aging in cells. If you can make this molecule ineffective, if you make this protein ineffective, then you can stop fat accumulation and aging in cells. A third-degree fat accumulation in the liver returns to its original state, and the liver can return to its original function. Professor Gökhan has dedicated his years to finding this molecule, its effects, and seeing how cells return to their old state when you make the molecule ineffective. As a result of his work, if it turns into a drug, all its patents will be put into this company, and if there is a profit from the 10-year funding period, 10% will go to Harvard University, 10% to Professor Gökhan, and 80% will be ours. So our biggest initiative in health is this. This is really a lot of work in the health field, the more you talk about it. Since we are talking about professors, we also established an Infectious Diseases Center at Koç University Faculty of Medicine, where I graduated, with Professor Önder Ergenebi, who was also a professor whose lectures I took.
Could we briefly hear his story from you as well? I had asked him, but...
Of course. Professor Önder is very valuable and is the number one name in infectious diseases in Turkey. Our paths crossed actually just before the pandemic started. While supporting his work and discussing issues like identifying infections that could cause pandemics in Turkey, perhaps developing Turkey's own vaccine, we thought we could fund his research at the university and name the research center after İş Bankası, that the bank could provide such support to the health sector. Without any commercial intent, just because Professor Önder's work is valuable, we said let the name of this place be İş Bankası and let our support here be seen, with contracts renewed every 3 years, sometimes 5 years. And we entered the work like that. With Professor Önder at the center, the presence of master's and doctoral students who could benefit from him, their training, and our support being paid as salaries to the students working with Professor Önder, allowing a much richer staff to be gathered around Professor Önder than the university could provide with its own resources. I believe that multiplying such valuable scientists is an important step for our country's future. Therefore, we believe that the more students there are around such valuable professors and the more they can be fed with projects, the more valuable the economic studies will be. That was the reason behind that support.
Truly visionary approaches, it's really admirable. Truly commendable work. I have an anecdote about Professor Önder. This center had just been established. When I went to the hospital, we spent the first 3 years at the Sarıyer Romali Feneri Campus. The final clinical year is done at the hospital. I had just moved to the hospital in my 4th year. This center was just opening. A floor was arranged. His work was continuing a bit. I was a student then, and there was an initiative called Fortuna. Since we were in the clinic and there were classes, sometimes I was looking for a place to join online meetings or work. I was looking for a place in the hospital that could be a bit hidden. On the 8th floor, in the back, in the Kocainde.
I have probably walked around there in the morning.
Yes. You know. Yes. That's why it's called the quiet cit. I would go to that 8th floor, and there were tables there. I would sit at those tables and work. I would go to the hospital early in the morning.
You know the opening of the quiet cit. Yes. That İş Bankası Infectious Disease Center. Center of Infectious Disease. Yes. Yes. I was working on that floor, my first initiative. I have used it as an office, you know, going early in the morning, and Professor Önder would sometimes tease me, asking if I had opened the shop, if I had made the first sale, etc. It had a place in my development story. A facility touches your life without you realizing it, and now we are doing this. We are doing the podcast.
Even the Entrepreneurship Foundation had a project called 'Maximum Youth'. I was one of those there too, and my life became different, İş Bankası.
Of course, you also mentioned where we met, Anadolu Bursları, Koç University, and at Koç University, we have support for Darüşşafaka up to high school graduation. For those who win Koç University, we also support them throughout their university life, so we were there at that Anadolu Bursları evening, the evening we met you.
Yes. You have contributions in very beautiful places. Thank you.
