On December 12, 2016, at the #21olsaydım event, the first cohort of 21 Fellows of the YBL21 program by Yeni Bir Lider Derneği (YBL: “A New Leader Association”) was introduced. Our Managing Partner Erdem Mümtaz Hacıpaşaoğlu was selected as one of the 21 Fellows out of 3,487 applications.
The central thesis of the program was clear: identifying the leaders of the 21st century at an early age, connecting them with pioneering figures and institutions, and accelerating that leadership journey through individual mentorship, a mini-MBA and an international business trip.
What the YBL21 program covers
Fellows go through a six-module mini-MBA program delivered by Linkage Turkey, take part in an international business trip, are matched with a career mentor and have their development tracked alongside a career coach.
The mentor panel and launch
At the launch event, Ali Sabancı (Pegasus), Cansen Başaran-Symes (TÜSİAD), Mehmet Göçmen, Burak Aydın (Intel Türkiye), İzzet Garih and Tansu Yeğen met the Fellows; each Fellow was matched with a mentor.
Highlights from this selection
- Selection: 21 Fellows out of 3,487 applications
- Program: Mini-MBA, international business trip, mentor matching
- Mentors: Ali Sabancı, Cansen Başaran-Symes, Burak Aydın, and more
Afterwards: from fellow to mentor
Hacıpaşaoğlu later returned to the association’s LEAD21 Fellowship Program as a Startup Mentor: 2020 (activity report), 2021, 2022 and 2026 (10th cohort). In 2024 he appeared in the association’s Ecosystem Meeting promotional film.
