“Women in Innovation 2022” Finalists Received Their Awards

The awards found their owners in the “Women in Innovation” project, organized for the 7th time under the leadership of KADEM.

Entrepreneurial women who made it to the finals after the training within the scope of the project were announced at a ceremony held on Sunday, November 13, at 10:30 AM, at Bakırköy Titanic Park Hotel.

The ceremony was attended by Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, KADEM Board of Trustees Chair Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, KADEM President Dr. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, and the management teams of the project partners.

The ceremony, which began with speeches by KADEM President Dr. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu and Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, saw Gümrükçüoğlu state: “Today, on the path we embarked on by explaining what innovation means, we have a large ecosystem of women entrepreneurs. And we are proud of this. Within the scope of our project, women have shown to the highest degree what they can achieve when given opportunities and guidance.” She thus drew attention to the project’s success.

Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank said, “Despite its short 9-year history, KADEM elevates the representation power of Turkish women in all areas of social life with its activities. Today, we are all witnessing another one of these efforts. I wish this beautiful organization, which encourages our women to become entrepreneurs, to be beneficial for our country.”

Following the speeches, the women entrepreneurs who participated in the camp organized within the scope of the project and made it to the finals were announced at the ceremony.

Within the scope of the project:

• Müge Baltacı was awarded the first prize in the Incubation Category with the “Köstebek” project,
• Merve Aydıner received the second prize with the “Invamar” project,
• and Nazife Nur Köksal was deemed worthy of the third prize with the “SynthData” project.

In the Pre-Incubation Category:

• Zuhal Oktay Coşkun was awarded the first prize with the “Süper Kablo” project,
• Güneş Sayıt received the second prize with the “Swatchloop” project,
• and Ravzanur Eker was deemed worthy of the third prize with the “Coridor” project.

The Women in Innovation 2022 Award Ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates of appreciation to stakeholders and sponsors and a photo shoot.

About the 2022 Women in Innovation Project

The primary goal of the Women in Innovation project is to support women in transforming their projects into high-employment potential ventures by increasing their entrepreneurial courage…

Within the scope of the Istanbul Development Agency’s Entrepreneurship Financial Support Program;

• Yıldız Technopark,
• Istanbul TTO,
• Turkish Exporters Assembly,
• Üsküdar Municipality partnership,
• TÜBİTAK Marmara Technopark,
• This year’s stage of the project, organized with the participation of Bilişim Vadisi and KOSGEB support, has been successfully completed.

This year, in the 7th Women in Innovation project;

A total of 450,000 TL was awarded to the top 3 entrepreneurs in the pre-incubation period, with 200,000 TL for the first place, 150,000 TL for the second, and 100,000 TL for the third.

The 3 projects deemed worthy of the incubation award received “seed investment support”.

Entrepreneurs will also be provided with office and workshop support for their project work for the first year.

More than 2,000 women entrepreneurs have applied to the Women in Innovation Project, which has been ongoing since 2015. Over 200 women entrepreneurs participated in innovation camps. Out of 30 women entrepreneurs who made it to the finals and received awards and certificates after the camps, 13 established their own companies and won awards in national and international competitions. They achieved significant successes in various sectors.

In the Women in Innovation Camp, entrepreneurs are provided with free use of open office and prototyping workshops, experience sharing with entrepreneurs, and access to investment funds every year. During the camp, which will also offer application mentorship for national and international projects and photo/video promotion opportunities in digital newspapers, free access to finance, sales, marketing, and customer management applications is provided.