Başak founded Kiralarsın two years ago, as a platform that enables customers to rent and subscribe to all kinds of electronic devices, including cameras, smart watches, vacuum cleaners, and more. The company focuses on sustainability by reducing electronic waste and offering carbon-neutral deliveries
A personal experience of struggling to afford electronics in Türkiye inspired Başak to create a solution that offers access without ownership.
‘I had the problem of accessing electronic devices in Türkiye because they were too expensive due to inflation and economic conditions. I had also bought some electronic devices through second-hand electronics platforms and didn’t like the experience. I thought, what if we change these ownership behaviours to just accessing the electronic devices? Because sometimes we need these devices just for a shorter time, and a sustainability-focused business model would actually be better for our world.’
As a business leader, Başak is always looking for ways to improve her skills, but she says business workshops often focus on boring presentations. When she joined the six-month She Entrepreneurs programme, for female founders in the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye, she experienced something completely different.
‘The coaches and mentors in the programme were really trying to help us with new methodologies and different perspectives. They really knew what they were talking about, and that made a big difference for me. We worked on scaling growth plans, marketing plans, actually on almost everything, including sustainability. The programme was very inspiring, so much more helpful than I ever expected.’
As part of the programme, Başak and other participants also spent a week in Stockholm meeting each other in person and networking with experts:
‘We even got the chance to pitch to investors at a network event, which is really helpful since we have limited access to this in most regions. Just understanding them, their requirements and expectations, and getting their feedback was really beneficial. We also talked about some collaboration opportunities within our group.’
For women considering She Entrepreneurs, Başak’s advice is clear: Apply!
‘I’m 100% sure they will get more out of it than they expect. It will be helpful for their businesses and their personal lives.’
She Entrepreneurs is a leadership programme for highly motivated women entrepreneurs in the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye who are building sustainable and scalable businesses that contribute to driving social and/or environmental change. In the past years that the programme has been running, many entrepreneurs received support that helped them become successful in expanding and increasing their impact.