Women Who Exit Interview

Felena Hanson “virtually” sat down with Zeynep Ilgaz, to discuss the sale of her business, Confirm BioSciences.

Zeynep Ilgaz is an immigrant from Turkey and has been living in San Diego for over 20 years. In 2008, she founded Confirm Biosciences, a national provider of diagnostic products for human and wellness testing, which, under her leadership, was placed on the Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list and the SDBJ Fastest Growing Companies list for having an annual growth rate of over 800% for 3 years running. Recently, Confirm Biosciences was acquired by CRL (Clinical Reference Laboratory).

Ilgaz is a firm believer in giving back to the community. She started the philanthropic arm of Confirm Biosciences, called “We Care, People over Profit,” which organizes donations to the community using a percentage of sales generated.

Aside from Confirm, she has worked as a board of director for Interfaith Community Services and served on the NIH Commercialization Assistance Program. She was also a contributor to outlets such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, and the Huffington Post where she discussed topics ranging from growth and leadership to volunteerism.

Ilgaz received her MBA from San Diego State University in 2000 and earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics & Finance from Bosphorus University, Istanbul, Turkey.

On the personal side, she has been married to the love of her life for 24 years; they have 2 boys and 4 dogs.

Awards and Recognition:
2018 INC Best Places to Work For
2017 Best and Brightest Company to Work For- San Diego 2016 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company
2016 SDBJ Best Places to Work For #1 2015 SDBJ Most Admired CEO of the Year
2015 SDBJ Women Who Mean Business Award
2015 San Diego Chamber, Outstanding Emerging Business of the Year Award 2015 E&Y, Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, San Diego
2015 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company #12 2015 SDBJ Best Places to Work For #3
2014 Stevie Award- Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 SDBJ Best Places to Work For #12
2014 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company
2013 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company 2012 SDDT -Top Influencer in San Diego
2009 SDSU- Lamden Rising Star Award Honoree
2008 National Institute of Health (NIH) Commercialization Adviser 2008 SD Metropolitan- 40 under 40 in San Diego Recipient
2008 TWIN Honoree

Community and Board Roles:
San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Board Member
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)- San Diego Chapter, Board Member Kids4Community, Board Member
SDSU Lavin Center, Advisory Board Member
SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District, Advisory Board Member Interfaith Community Services, Board Member (2017-2020)
San Diego State University, Guest Lecturer