CBC Advances Cross-Border CleanTech Innovation and Start-up Ecosystems at GreenInvest IN4SFS Türkiye
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The CleanTech Business Club (CBC) proudly participated in the GreenInvest IN4SFS Brokerage Event Türkiye, held on 26–27 March 2026 in İzmir, bringing together start-ups, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders active in green and sustainable technologies.
The event was organised within the IN4SFS – Investment Network for Sustainability-Focused Startups project, funded by the European Union, with the objective of facilitating cross-border investments, strengthening innovation ecosystems, and supporting the international scaling of sustainability-focused start-ups.
Strengthening Cross-Border Investment and Innovation Ecosystems
Over two intensive days, the event featured panel discussions on green and sustainable investment trends, cross-border collaboration and funding mechanisms, start-up pitching sessions, structured B2B matchmaking meetings, and networking sessions connecting ecosystem stakeholders.
The event contributed to strengthening cross-border collaboration and building stronger investment networks across Europe and beyond, while supporting investment readiness and international visibility of sustainability-focused start-ups.
CBC Participation and Contributions
CleanTech Business Club contributed to the programme through participation in panel discussions focused on cross-border collaboration, funding mechanisms, and ecosystem development.
We would like to extend special thanks to:
Prof. Dr. Şener Oktik, Board Member at Board of Directors, Birlesim Energy Group and Clean Energy Foundation;
Honorary Chairman of Turkish Photovoltaic Industries (GENSED); Senior Lecturer at Maltepe University, Turkey; Seasoned Researcher at Middle East Technical University, Solar Energy Research and Application Centre; CBC Honorary Chair for Turkey, for representing CBC onsite and contributing to the panel discussions
Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, Senior Adviser at Horváth; Former Member of the German Parliament and Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
CBC Co-Chair of Clean Hydrogen Hub (In Charge of Off-takers Ecosystem) for participating online and sharing valuable insights on green investment and hydrogen ecosystem development
EGE Teknopark Team, especially Ayşenur Tezcan, for the excellent organisation and hosting of the event
Start-up Pitching and Investor Matchmaking
The second day of the event focused on start-up pitching sessions and structured B2B meetings, enabling investors and start-ups to explore collaboration and investment opportunities, increase investment readiness, and support international scaling.
Start-ups presenting during the event represented a wide range of green technologies including carbon management, circular economy, renewable energy, biotechnology, data and digital solutions, sustainable materials, agri-tech, and energy technologies.
Final Regional Event Before IN4SFS International Event in Germany
The İzmir event marked the last regional IN4SFS brokerage event, following previous events in Romania and Greece.
We are now preparing for the IN4SFS Final International Brokerage Event, which will take place in Munich in June 2026 during The smarter E Europe / Intersolar Europe, the most important energy and cleantech event in Europe.
The smarter E Europe brings together energy companies, investors, utilities, technology providers, policymakers, and innovation ecosystems, and features a large start-up area with around 170 start-ups, making it one of the most important platforms for cleantech innovation, partnerships, and investments in Europe.
IN4SFS Project Partners
The IN4SFS project is implemented by the following partners:
CleanTech Business Institute (on behalf of CBC)
EGE Teknopark (Türkiye)
Creative Business Network (Denmark)
SEGE – Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs (Greece)
ADR Nord-Vest (Romania)
Innovation Consultants (Portugal)
Business Angels Connect
Additional ecosystem and innovation partners across Europe
Together, the partners are working to build a strong cross-border investment network for sustainability-focused start-ups and scale-ups.
Looking Ahead
The GreenInvest IN4SFS Brokerage Event Türkiye once again demonstrated the importance of international collaboration, ecosystem partnerships, and cross-border investment networks in scaling green innovation and sustainable technologies.
We would like to thank the European Union for funding the IN4SFS project, all project partners, speakers, investors, start-ups, and participants for contributing to the success of the event.
Together we continue building stronger cross-border cleantech innovation and investment ecosystems.
