“RC’s greatest impact on me was the way our teachers did not simply teach; they listened.”
Levent Özgür is the chairman and coCEO of Atermit, a B2B manufacturer in automotive. He and his brother wanted to create a B2C venture. Thanks to a sports injury and the encouragement of class mate Cenk Gümüşçüoğlu, they now have a brand: Actifoam.
What is the story behind Actifoam?
My brother and I decided to explore diversification opportunities beyond our core business. We were interested in interacting directly with consumers. My RC classmate Cenk Gümüşcüoğlu first planted the idea to create a consumer brand.
At the time, I was training for a race and got injured. The rehabilitation process introduced me to foam rollers, right when we were thinking about potential products based on the EPP foam technology we already used in automotive, and thus Actifoam was born.
Because Actifoam was a small venture, it gave us room to experiment. We worked with Cenk’s company Karbonat to develop the brand story. We identified two market opportunities: recovery products and swimming products.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the early days?
We never wanted to compete on price, aiming instead for high quality at accessible prices. The biggest challenge was resisting the temptation to compromise that positioning for short-term sales. We chose to remain focused on building a brand we could be proud of over the long term.
What is unique about RC that encourages entrepreneurship?
What had the greatest impact on me was how did not simply teach; they listened. Many alumni share this willingness to keep learning, listen carefully, and unite diverse perspectives. Those qualities are at the heart of entrepreneurship.
