THE PROJECTS AWARDED IN THE 8th WOMEN IN INNOVATION PROGRAM HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED
In the ‘Women in Innovation Program’ launched by the Women and Democracy Foundation to support and mentor female entrepreneurs, six women entrepreneurs from two different categories who reached the finals this year were awarded a total of 1 million TRY. The female entrepreneurs received their awards from the Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Zekeriya Çoştu, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, and KADEM Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar.
Among the 31 female entrepreneurs who reached the finals of the 8th ‘Women in Innovation Program’ organized this year under the leadership of the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM), the winners have been announced.
The winners have been selected from among the 31 female entrepreneurs who reached the finals of the 8th ‘Women in Innovation Program,’ organized this year under the auspices of the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM). Following the jury panel’s evaluation, six projects developed by female entrepreneurs were awarded a total of 1 million TRY. At the ceremony, the awards were presented to the successful entrepreneurs by Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Zekeriya Çoştu, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, and KADEM Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar.
SÜMEYYE ERDOĞAN BAYRAKTAR: WE WANT TO BE ONE OF THE LEADING BRANDS IN SUPPORTING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Speaking at the ceremony, KADEM Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar addressed the assassinations in Lebanon carried out through the detonation of radios and pagers. She emphasized that these attacks, targeting people in a manner similar to the genocide in Palestine, underscore the importance of countries having a say in the field of technology and achieving independence. Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar stated that Türkiye has made significant progress in this field with the ‘National Technology Move.’
In this context, Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, stating that KADEM sees the ‘Women in Innovation Program’ as a ‘strategic move,’ continued her remarks as follows: “We believe that an innovation ecosystem without women will be incomplete. Moreover, we believe that we should not only adapt to this great change, but also be the drivers and leaders of the transformation. As diversity increases across many sectors, from science and technology to art and industry, entrepreneurship also benefits from this richness. Innovations that emphasize the power of ideas in the business world gain value through innovation. As KADEM, we aim to encourage female entrepreneurship for sustainable growth and to involve women more in innovation processes. We view the ‘Women in Innovation Program’ not only as a social responsibility project but also as a strategic initiative for the vision of the Century of Türkiye. Our ‘Women in Innovation’ initiative has been approved as a ‘Guided Project’ by the Istanbul Development Agency in its 8th term. In other words, our project has attained ‘program’ status. I hope that our Women in Innovation Program continues to grow and flourish for many years, becoming one of the leading brands in supporting female entrepreneurship.
1 MILLION TRY AWARDED TO THE 6 SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS
Entrepreneurial women who participated in the KADEM Women in Innovation camp received training from a professional team on the process of starting a business and developing their projects. At the end of the camp, six successful entrepreneurial candidates were selected based on the jury panel’s evaluations. If they meet the specified criteria within a year, they will be awarded a total of 1 million TRY.
PROJECTS AWARDED
Entrepreneurs and Projects Awarded in the Incubation Category:
Gizem Uysal won the first prize with her Helios Science and Technology project, receiving the 225,000 TRY award from Istanbul Governor Davut Gül.
Through her Helios project, developed in the fields of agricultural and environmental technology, Uysal aims to capture carbon from the air using advanced materials and utilize it to boost agricultural productivity in greenhouses.
Pınar Oğuz Ekim won the second prize with her Advoard Robotics project, receiving the 175,000 TRY award from KADEM Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sümeyye Erdoğan. Through her Advoard Robotics project, developed in the fields of autonomous vehicle and AI logistics technology, Ekim is developing fully autonomous mobile fleet robots and software that operate collaboratively, with each robot aware of the others’ location and route information.
Havva Bozkurt won the third prize with her BIOPROBIF project, receiving the 100,000 TRY award from İSTKA Secretary General Ziya Taşkent. Bozkurt’s BIOPROBIF project, developed in the field of agricultural and food technology, aims to create an alternative product that reduces plastic waste and carbon emissions by using probiotic (probif) bacteria-based renewable bioplastic food packaging.
Entrepreneurs and Projects Awarded in the Pre-Incubation Category:
Selen Tavtın won the first prize with her HER project. Through her innovative approach, Tavtın aims to produce a recyclable, circular, and sustainable biomaterial that closely resembles leather, using BioCell technology, for the leather industry, all while promoting zero waste and maintaining a natural texture.
Eylül Er won the second prize with her Palgae project. Through her innovative work, Er aims to produce algae-based, low-carbon-emission, biodegradable, and eco-friendly biomaterials, preventing the formation of microplastics in the soil from discarded elastic packaging.
Ümmügül Yedican Derici won the third prize with her KUMAT Marine Technologies project. With the project she developed, Derici aims to conduct autonomous underwater mapping of seas, lakes, and dam beds using the unmanned surface vehicle KEMI. This vehicle will enable effective mapping and surveillance activities in coastal areas, using locally developed components and design.
The winners will also receive support to participate in one of the major international entrepreneurship events, such as Web Summit, Slush, CES, etc.
WITH THE ‘WOMEN IN INNOVATION’ PROJECT, KADEM HAS HELPED 16 WOMEN ESTABLISH THEIR OWN COMPANIES
Since 2015, more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs have applied to the KADEM Women in Innovation Program. Over 200 women entrepreneurs have participated in the entrepreneurship camps. Of the 36 women entrepreneurs who reached the final and received awards and certificates, 16 have established their own companies, and 6 have secured investments. They have won awards in national and international competitions and achieved significant success across various sectors.
SUPPORT PROVIDED TO WOMEN IN THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAMP
Every year, the KADEM Women in Innovation Camp provides entrepreneurs with free access to open office spaces and prototyping workshops, opportunities for experience sharing, and access to investment funds. Entrepreneurs are also offered mentorship for applying to national and international projects, as well as promotional opportunities through photos and videos in digital newspapers. Additionally, they have free access to financial, sales, marketing, and customer management tools.
