Saygin Yalcin (Turkish: Saygın Yalçın;[1] born 1984/1985[2]) is a Dubai-based German entrepreneur and academic lecturer of Turkish origin.[3] He founded sukar.com which was acquired by Souq.com, which was then acquired by Amazon for $580 million.[1][4][5][6]
Saygin Yalçın | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 or 1985 (age 39–40) |
| Citizenship | German |
| Education | Monroe College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Personal life edit
Saygin was born in Bremen to Turkish immigrants.[2] In his teen years he was a skilled footballer who played in German junior league A-Junioren Bundesliga.[2]
Education edit
He studied in Germany and later in the United States and Mexico. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Monroe College.
Career edit
One of his jobs was marketing and sales for BMW in 2004. He also worked for Capgemini and L’Oreal. He first started his entrepreneurial career by founding a business in Germany. Later he moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he founded Sukar.com. After selling it to Souq.com, he later established SellAnyCar.com[7][8] becoming its CEO.[9][10] He is also well known on social media after appearing on YouTube[9] He is a visiting instructor on entrepreneurship in Canadian University of Dubai.[11] His YouTube channel produces the show Startup Hero where selected viewers pitch their idea to Yalcin and other investors for funding.[12][13]
sellanycar.com edit
For the expansion of sellanycar.com to Europe, he has collected about 10 million euros in an investment round from Polar Light Ventures.[14][15][16] In another investment round, he wanted to collect 100 million euros, which would make the company a unicorn. However, the investment round was canceled.[15] In 2015 sellanycar.com also came to Germany. The goal was to take over the market leadership of the unicorn AUTO1 Group. The operating business of sellanycar.com in Germany was discontinued after a few months.[17]
References edit
- ^ a b Turkish Time magazine: Haftanın girişim öyküsü: Sellanyca.cm ve Saygın Yalçın (in Turkish)
- ^ a b c Bild: Saygin Yalcin schaffte es aus einachen verhaltnissen zum selfmade-mann – Der Dubai-Millionär (33) Aus dem Bremer Plattenbau (in German)
- ^ "Saygin Yalcin". Arabian Business.
- ^ "Pure ambition: Saygin Yalcin, CEO of SellAnyCar.com". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ Kim, Eugene (30 April 2019). "Amazon launches new Middle East marketplace, and rebrands Souq, the company it bought for $580 million in 2017". CNBC. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Amazon completes $580M acquisition of Middle East e-commerce giant Souq.com". GeekWire. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ Arabian Business: Pure ambition: Saygin Yalcin, CEO of SellAnyCar.com
- ^ Esquire Middle East: Saygin Yalcin: Businessman? Or social media superstar?
- ^ a b Gulf Marketing Review: Saygin Yalcin, founder and CEO of sellanycar.com
- ^ Gruenderszene.de: Dieser Deutsche Gründer will Aus Dubai die Auto1 Group angreifen (in German)
- ^ Canadian University of Dubai: Souq.com signs MOU with the Canadian University of Dubai to promote entrepreneurship
- ^ StartupHero website
- ^ The National UAE: YouTube platform provides lift-off for entrepreneurial start-ups
- ^ "Sellanycar's Saygin Yalcin: from student to business celebrity".
- ^ a b "SellAnyCar.com Company Profile: Valuation & Investors | PitchBook".
- ^ "Data commons for UK tech | Polar Light Ventures Portfolio".
- ^ "Gebrauchtwagen: Aus für Sellanycar.com". autohaus.de. Retrieved 31 July 2019.