Meet Ayçe Mısırlılar | Electrical-Electronics Engineer, Founder & CEO of Intellerzone, Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ayçe Mısırlılar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ayçe, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Science, technology, and art have always been a part of my life as long as I can remember. From a very young age, I started drawing pictures, learned to use a computer, and by the age of 5 or 6, I was publishing the drawings I created on my blog. I would watch science programs and read science magazines. I was always interested in music as well, and I always prepared for my music lessons. As I got older and began making music professionally, music became a huge and important part of my life. I’ve always loved listening, learning, and sharing what I learn with others, talking about it. However, unfortunately, I didn’t have many friends around me who shared my interests or who I could spend quality time with. This actually pushed me to spend more time alone and be more productive. I’ve always been someone who dreams big and works for those dreams, one of which was to open up to the world. Because, I never really felt like I belonged to the place or environment I was in. This made me unhappy, and I thought I could change it. This also led me to learn different languages. I’ve always enjoyed learning English since my childhood, and later in middle school, I chose French as an elective. My passion for learning languages started back then. I didn’t neglect being social either; I joined drama and debate clubs. But that was never enough for me, I always wanted to do more, so I added sports to my life. I played volleyball for three years, and then music completely took over my life. I learned to play the guitar, started uploading covers to YouTube, and during that time, I made many foreign friends. Then, when a DJ discovered me, I released my first song at the age of 17. It was an incredible experience for me. I began expanding to larger audiences and collaborating with others. I had budget constraints, and not everyone was willing to promote for free. With no budget, I set up my own website and started promoting musicians. My plan was to gradually grow the site and use it to promote my own songs. But unknowingly, by meeting talented people, I kept expanding my circle, and my new goal became to connect with world-famous people as well. And I had the chance to meet and talk with many well-known people both in my country and internationally. Perhaps the peak of this was when I started university, and I had to take a serious break from music. This was because I started studying electrical engineering, and beginning university had already overwhelmed me. This was actually a situation I had feared from the beginning, and there was no way to avoid it. Trying to do a bit of everything throughout my school life negatively impacted me on the path to university. Being a versatile person didn’t seem like a blessing anymore, it felt like a misfortune. I could never control my emotions. Actually, everything was exactly as I wanted, I just needed to set my priorities. And I had to realize that I couldn’t be “everything” at once. Or maybe I could be. Starting university changed my whole life. When I founded Intellerzone, I had blended the love for art, science, and technology that had been inside me since childhood. It was important for me to share all this because maybe much more than these led to the creation of Intellerzone today. The foundation of Intellerzone was actually laid the day I was born, and so will all the other things I do in life. When I began to look up to successful and big-thinking people, I decided to create my own brand. And this was going to be more than just a brand; I knew there were people like me, and they were struggling in society, so I wanted to create a community where these people, who love learning, researching, and are interested in art, science, technology, and many other topics, could finally feel at home. I aimed to spread this beautiful energy to the world.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Of course, it wasn’t easy. When I started this journey, I was fully aware of the challenges I would face. I could roughly predict what I’d encounter, but I focused not on the journey itself, but on the end goal. I once read a quote that said, ‘We always focus on the end goal to stay strong, but we forget that life is actually the entirety of the journey.’ After reading that, I started learning to enjoy the present moment as well. Life passes by as we set goals and achieve them, only to replace them with new ones. That’s why it’s important to live in the moment because, as you know, today we find ourselves missing the days we once wished would pass.

I truly believe that having a goal is the most important thing in life. Whatever your goal is, your life will begin to align with it. You start seeing more opportunities and things related to your goal. The more you embrace something, the more it comes your way. I believe in that wholeheartedly. Another important thing is being aware of life’s turning points and making the right decisions in critical moments. Sometimes, it’s about never giving up; other times, it’s about knowing when to walk away. Timing is key. And perhaps most importantly, it’s about focusing on how you can turn any negativity into something positive. I also believe that ‘within every good, there’s some bad; and within every bad, there’s some good.’

I believe that as long as you stay in your comfort zone, you won’t own anything. Sometimes, you need to step out of that safe space, get tired, and take risks. Of course, this depends on what you expect from life. The universe works just like our mirror.

The knowledge and experience I gained at university enabled me to do many things on my own while establishing Intellerzone. The more you know, the less you depend on others. Knowledge is power.

There are many more projects I aim to achieve with Intellerzone, and I’m already very excited. As our community grows, one of my biggest dreams is to organize unforgettable global events that push the boundaries of technology and creativity, bringing together people who learn, create, and inspire without any distinctions of language, religion, race, or culture, and turning Intellerzone into an international source of inspiration. On the other hand, I aim to shape my engineering career in the automotive industry and make significant contributions in this field.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wow, my best friend and I were just talking about this recently! A lot can be done in a week, but we’ve all been very tired lately, so I think we’d prefer a bit of calm. I’m from İzmir, and I’ve been missing the local dishes. On the first day, for breakfast, we’d definitely have İzmir kumrusu and tea. Then, a walk by the sea and a long chat. In the afternoon, we’d take the ferry to Alsancak, have döner, and after that, enjoy İzmir bombası at a pastry shop. After a nice time in a café, we’d head back to Bostanlı. On the second day, we’d have a traditional breakfast spread in Bostanlı. During the day, we’d watch a movie, and in the evening, I’d play the guitar for a small concert. On the third and fourth days, we’d go on a short historical tour of Izmir, and on the fifth day, we’d rest a bit and enjoy home-cooked meals, what we call “gün tabağı”—a mix of pastries, börek, kısır, potato salad, sarma, and plenty of tea. When you’re far from home, you really miss these things. Then, for the weekend, we could spend two days in Foça, where I grew up, with a boat tour, barbecue, and a seaside bar. Moonlight, and evening breeze…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would answer this question without hesitation by saying “my dad.” I owe who I am today entirely to my father. It is because of him that I believed I could do anything. He is like a big, strong tree in my life — someone I can lean on, stand under his shadow, someone who protects and supports me, and makes me feel strong with his power, both physically and emotionally. He has helped shape my life, guiding me in every moment and decision with his vast knowledge and experiences. He is such an amazing person that not only I, but everyone loves him, and everyone always seeks his advice. He dedicated his life to me.
My mother has always been emotionally by my side, thinking of me before her career, raising me, and teaching me love and compassion. She is my angel as well. I can never repay them for all they’ve done. I love them so much.

There was also a time in my life that deeply impacted me — a real turning point. I was going through a dark period when I had lost faith in life and had embraced a nihilistic mindset. What helped pull me out of that hole were a few videos about people with physical disabilities and what they had achieved. One of them was about a man who had a face transplant, and the other was a motivational talk by Nick Vujicic. When I saw how happy the man was and how thankful he was despite everything, I felt ashamed of how I had been seeing life — like I was betraying all the blessings I had.
Nick Vujicic was so energetic and full of life. He showed how he got up every time he fell, and when he said, “You can get up too,” I felt it deep inside. I was ashamed of my pointless complaints and took control of my life again.

In addition to this, I want to mention that I have received support not only from love but also from challenges, hatred, and bullying. When some people told me I couldn’t do something or mocked me, those words might make someone believe they truly can’t — but for me, they actually gave me more strength. I never cared about the difficulties or what others said. Because no matter what you do, there will always be people who are dissatisfied and critical. But I focus only on myself and my life. I do what I want to do, because this is my life, and I am the main character.

Other people who have inspired or influenced me are Leonardo da Vinci, Arthur Schopenhauer, Nikola Tesla, Elon Musk, Miley Cyrus, and Demet Mutlu.

Website: https://intellerzone.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intellerzone/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayce-misirlilar/

Twitter: https://x.com/Intellerzone

Donate: https://buymeacoffee.com/intellerzone https://kreosus.com/intellerzone