Entella Co: Filtering the Oceans
“Wouldn’t it be great to see a startup from the JA Company Program become one of the world’s leading companies?” asks 20-year-old JA Turkey alumnus Arya Yurdacan. She speaks with a confidence that belies her age, especially when the subject is her JA student company, Entella Co, winner of the JA Europe Company of the Year competition and the FedEx Access Award.
When team members first came together in the JA Company Program, they sought a solution to a significant problem in Istanbul: marine pollution. But the answer didn’t come easily. “Being a team is difficult, because everyone has different ideas but we need that one solution,” Arya says. “We are 10 people, and that means 10 different ideas.”
““Everyone, everything is linked to each other. One movement affects the others.””
“And we have 10 different backgrounds,” added Öykü Ulusay, Head of Sales and Marketing. “We failed so many times. But we failed as a team, not as individuals.” Öykü, a high school senior, who encountered one of the highest highs possible in JA in 2019, perfectly articulated one of the hallmarks of this organization: resilience. In a year of global tumult, Entella Co endures.
As if juggling school schedules and work weren’t enough, Arya, Öykü, and the Entella team are pursuing patents for their marine filtration system, Mareen, and looking to scale up. Meeting with angel investors to grow the business, securing patents for their design, and finding new battles to fight in the oceans, especially due to the presence of disposable face masks in waters. They’re also giving back to current JA Turkey students, volunteering as mentors for the up-and-coming entrepreneurs following in their footsteps. One of Arya’s biggest aims is to improve lives through innovative solutions and to empower and inspire people to dream big. “Balancing one’s innovation, knowledge, and hard work with values, passion, and dedication creates leaders best equipped to change the world.”
“But entrepreneurship is not easy,” she continues. “One day everything goes perfectly and the next day everything may be ruined, but the important thing is to be able to motivate yourself and keep going.” With this mindset and this leadership, our bet is on Entella Co turning into a world-class business.
In August, Arya was elected as one of the 20 Most Talented Entrepreneurs Under the Age of 20 in Europe’s “20 under 20.” She is also honored to work with the Oceans Youth Council and contribute to promoting World Oceans Day.
““We failed so many times. But we failed as a team, not as individuals.””