Tapping into MIT’s resources

Akin had no intention of starting a business when he arrived at MIT in 2015 as a Sloan Fellow.Akin recalls, “At MIT, I had the chance to meet people from so many different countries and careers.”Being exposed to so many successful entrepreneurs broadened my perspective and sparked my interest in entrepreneurship.

He took a job with Sprint after graduation, but Akin’s newfound interest in entrepreneurship kept him connected to MIT.He began mentoring founders of startups at MIT and in Turkey, where he grew up, and he continues to do so today.He came up with the idea for a platform that would help researchers and editors of scientific journals connect during one of those mentorship sessions with a friend who was also an entrepreneur in Turkey.

In 2017, the concept resulted in the initial version of PoolText.Akin went back to MIT at the conclusion of that year to take part in entrepreneurial programs during the Independent Activities Period.As an alumni, he also took entrepreneurship classes, where he and his classmates worked on the PoolText concept.