Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley-based innovation platform bringing the world’s leading startups and corporations together, has set its eyes on collaborating with Turkish Employers' Association of Metal Industries (MESS) to create a mobility and IoT innovation center in Istanbul.
MEXT (MESS Technology Center) is slated to host Plug and Play’s latest hub and is due to undertake its design. The innovation giant is planning to matchmake startups, corporations, and investors operating in industries such as automotive, energy, logistics, steel and durable consumer goods.
Releasing a statement on their decision to open an office in Türkiye, Plug and Play Founder and CEO Saeed Amidi said, “Through this new operation in Türkiye, we will be able to connect Istanbul to Silicon Valley, China, Singapore, Germany, and the rest of our global network, and further continue our collaborations and innovation."
Emphasizing that it he has long harbored a desire to include Istanbul in their global map. “Our office is located at MEXT, which is Türkiye's largest, most innovative, and state-of-the-art technology center,” added Amidi. “Istanbul features in the Top 100 Emerging Ecosystems ranking, but our main goal is to help Istanbul climb up to the Top 30 Global Startup Ecosystems.”
The first startup accelerator program of Plug and Play’s mobility and IoT innovation hub is slated to start at the beginning of 2021.