WOMEN IN INNOVATION THEMATIC ACCELERATION PROGRAM GUIDELINES

WOMEN IN INNOVATION THEMATIC ACCELERATION PROGRAM GUIDELINES

These guidelines define the scope, objectives, application conditions, evaluation process, and the terms and rules regarding the offerings to Participants of the Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program (“Program”).

Applicants are obliged to read these guidelines and all explanations on the www.inovasyondakadin.org page (“website”). By applying to the Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program, Applicants declare that they accept all conditions and rules specified in these guidelines.

A. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program is to increase awareness and competence regarding women’s entrepreneurship across Turkey. Within the framework of the Program, KADEM aims to increase the role of women entrepreneurs in the food and biotechnology sectors, encourage greater diversity in these areas, strengthen their position in the sector, and help innovative women entrepreneurs successfully grow their businesses.

B. APPLICATION CONDITIONS

1. Applications to the Program are accepted only through the application form available on the Program’s official website. Applications claimed to be made through other channels will not be accepted.

2. The application form on the website and other requested documents in these guidelines must be prepared in Turkish. Documents prepared in other languages will not be accepted by KADEM.

3. Program applications for this period will be open until April 25, 2025, at 23:59. All Teams are obliged to complete and submit the application form to KADEM accurately and completely by the application deadline; otherwise, the application will be considered incomplete. KADEM accepts no responsibility for incomplete, incorrectly filled, or late-submitted application forms.

4. All Team Members’ names, surnames, dates of birth, Turkish ID numbers, email addresses, mobile phone numbers, educational status, university, department, and class information must be entered completely and accurately during the registration phase in the application form. All notifications to be made by KADEM after the application form is filled will be sent to the entrepreneur, and the email address and mobile phone number provided in the application form will be used for communication. KADEM is not responsible if its notifications do not reach Team Members due to incorrect or subsequently changed information in the application form. Personal data collected by KADEM within the scope of this Program will be processed under Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (“Law”) and in accordance with the provisions of the Law.

5. Applications to the Thematic Acceleration Program must be made by the entrepreneur (founder/co-founder of the venture). For the application to be evaluated, the venture must have 50% female co-founders. Team Members accept that the personal information they provide in the application form belongs to them and that KADEM may process this information for its intended purpose under the conditions mentioned in the Clarification Text and in accordance with relevant conditions.

6. KADEM employees, partners and affiliates for the 2025 period, mentors, and jury members, their first and second-degree relatives, and past graduates of Women in Innovation are not eligible to apply to the Program. If such individuals apply to the Program, the Team including the said Team Member will be excluded from the Program.

7. The business idea subject to the application can be any innovative idea developed by the Team Members and applicable to business life. While there is no limitation on the scope of the business idea, by signing these guidelines, Team Members declare that:

The business idea submitted to the Program does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties;

• They have not participated in the Program with an idea that has been part of projects or similar events organized by third parties and/or organizations, and/or any right under intellectual and industrial property legislation belonging to any third party or organization, and/or an idea that may infringe any right under intellectual and industrial property legislation of any third party or organization. Otherwise, all legal and criminal responsibility belongs to them, and therefore, they are the sole addressee of all kinds of demands and claims that may be directed by third parties, and they will immediately cover all damages that may arise for KADEM in this regard upon the first written request from KADEM, and they are responsible for the damages.

• They will be personally responsible for all kinds of demands and lawsuits that third parties may bring regarding the infringement of intellectual property rights, and they will hold KADEM and everyone acting on behalf of KADEM harmless from all kinds of demands and lawsuits;

• During and after the project, without time limit, they will not disclose any information that is confidential to KADEM and any matter related to this competition, including but not limited to the project process carried out by KADEM, evaluations, ideas of other participants/teams, etc. (“TRADE SECRETS AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION”) to third parties. In case of doubt as to whether information constitutes a trade secret and/or is confidential, they will assume that the information is confidential unless otherwise specified by KADEM, and they will take care to ensure the protection of KADEM’s TRADE SECRETS and CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION in studies to be carried out with third parties and organizations regarding the idea subject to the competition during and after this project, without time limit. Otherwise, they will immediately cover all damages that may arise for KADEM due to this situation upon the first written request from KADEM.

• The owners of innovative ideas, business ideas, utility models, projects, and inventions detailed by entrepreneurs within the project hosted by KADEM are the person/team who conveyed that innovative idea, business idea, utility model, project, and invention.

• They will not engage in behavior that would prejudice the rights of participants, and will not transfer information about the content of shared projects to third parties; otherwise, those whose rights are prejudiced will have the right to resort to legal and criminal remedies, and they will be held responsible for the responsibilities arising from them.

• The right to transfer information and share about the aforementioned issues regarding the participants’ projects is reserved by the KADEM Foundation.

• Within the scope of this camp; Mentors and jury (individuals who support and evaluate entrepreneurs during and after the camp period),

• Investors (individuals and institutions consulted for investment support to entrepreneurs after the camp),

• All data and information related to the projects will be shared with Stakeholders/Collaborators for the purposes of evaluating projects and providing support to projects. This situation does not infringe any rights of the entrepreneur.

• The name, content, scope, subject, and progress details of innovative ideas, business ideas, utility models, projects, and inventions detailed by participants within the Program are considered confidential information, and they will not violate this confidentiality.

• They will not transfer information to third parties regarding these matters without the consent of the participants, will not take visual records of the content of the participants’ projects, will not create unfair competition, and will not act contrary to the rules of honesty.

• KADEM reserves the right to make any changes to the program, unconditionally, provided that it notifies in advance within the scope of the program.

• If participants fail to meet the conditions in these guidelines, they may be removed by KADEM at any stage of the program, and in such a case, they will not be able to claim any material/moral lawsuits against KADEM.

• Participants in the Program will attend all events organized by KADEM during the program period, fully follow the digital training content, and fulfill their assigned responsibilities within the specified period. The right to support cannot be transferred to any third party; otherwise, the right to receive the said support will not be earned.

• They hereby declare and undertake that the business idea is lawful, does not conflict with KADEM values and general moral rules, and does not offend any person or institution.

8. Although not mandatory, team members may have applied for or obtained registration for patent, utility model, trademark, or other intellectual property rights for all or some elements of their business idea with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office or other offices. In this case, in response to the relevant question in the application form, brief information about the actions taken and the status of the intellectual property right must be provided. KADEM may request further information on this matter if necessary.

9. KADEM reserves the right to disqualify Applicants it determines not to comply with the rules specified in these guidelines at any stage of the Program, and to reclaim or discontinue any support provided within the scope of the Program.

C. CAMP PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS

Applications will be accepted from university technology teams at the idea stage and women entrepreneurs at the pre-incubation stage working in the fields of Food and Biotechnology.

• Technology teams at the idea stage are entitled to participate in the acceleration program as two individuals.
• Entrepreneurs at the pre-incubation stage are entitled to participate in the acceleration program as one individual.

D. SUPPORT PROVIDED

Support for University Technology Teams at the Idea Stage:

• Online Mentorship Support: The top 3 university technology teams receive 5 weeks of online mentorship services, providing guidance through experienced mentors.

• Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Consultancy: Teams receive consultancy services for 1 year on protecting and managing their intellectual property rights.

• Co-working Office Space: Selected teams are provided with co-working office space for 1 year, increasing opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

Support for Entrepreneurs at the Pre-Incubation Stage:

• Online Mentorship Support: 5 weeks of online mentorship support is provided for the top 3 pre-incubation ventures.

• Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Consultancy: Entrepreneurs receive consultancy support for 1 year regarding intellectual property protection.

• Co-working Office Space: The top 3 entrepreneurs are provided with co-working office space for 1 year.

• Right to Participate in the Women in Innovation Entrepreneurship Camp: The first-place entrepreneur in the pre-incubation stage earns the right to participate in the 2025 Women in Innovation Entrepreneurship Camp.

E. EVALUATION

1. Applications that pass the system control are grouped according to the sector and stage of the business idea, then opened for preliminary jury and working group evaluations. Business idea applications to the Program are evaluated according to the following criteria:

The scoring system will be a total of 100 points for the 3 categories below; 33 points for the value proposition and commercialization categories, and 34 points for the innovative aspect category.

• Under the Value Proposition heading, the added value created by the business idea, as well as its social and environmental impact, are included.
• Under the Innovative Aspect heading, how the business idea differentiates itself from similar ones is questioned.
• Under the Commercialization heading, the speed of implementation and revenue model of the business idea are questioned.

2. After evaluation, a number of ventures, determined by considering the Program quota from among those with the highest scores, are selected as Program Participants and invited to the Thematic Acceleration Program with a main and reserve list result.
3. KADEM is not obliged to provide feedback to Applicants not selected for the Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program regarding the reasons for non-selection.

F. CAMP CALENDAR

The Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program calendar is as follows:

• Application Period: March 25 – April 25, 2025

• Application Evaluation and Interview Stage: April 28, 2025 – May 02, 2025

• Announcement of Participants: May 9, 2025

• Acceleration Camp: May 16, 2025 – May 18, 2025

1. Every applicant who passes the Preliminary Evaluation Period is obliged to follow the process both through the website and via email, and to confirm their participation in the program. Entrepreneurs who do not confirm their participation within the specified period lose their right to participate in the camp, and the right to participate passes to the reserve entrepreneur team according to the ranking on the reserve list.

2. 2024 Camp Participants are obliged to attend all events organized during the Women in Innovation Entrepreneurship Program, fully follow the digital training content, and fulfill their assigned responsibilities within the specified period.

G. THEMATIC ACCELERATION PROGRAM

1. 2025 Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program Participants are admitted to a 2-day in-person Acceleration Program. In the Acceleration Program, Participants will be offered support such as training on topics needed by entrepreneurs, determined in advance by KADEM, mentorship, networking opportunities, and meetings with potential investors.

2. For Program Participant ventures determined as main and reserve lists, the entrepreneur (founder) must primarily attend the Thematic Acceleration Program. If unable to attend, they must inform KADEM and have the female team member authorized by the entrepreneur fill out the directed forms. Venture teams that do not fill out the relevant forms within the specified period, and ventures that do not fully participate in the entire Thematic Acceleration Program, will lose their right to be program participants. Two female entrepreneurs from university technology teams at the idea stage and one female entrepreneur in the pre-incubation category will be invited to the program.

3. The Acceleration Program will take place from May 16-18, with accommodation at a designated hotel in Istanbul. Full board accommodation will be provided by KADEM during the program days. Transportation to the hotel is the responsibility of the participants.

H. FINAL PROCESS

In the Final, a total of 6 finalists will be selected by the Jury: 3 teams for the university technology team at the idea stage and 3 individuals for the pre-incubation category.

I. KADEM’S RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES

KADEM reserves the right to make any changes to the guidelines, evaluation criteria, evaluation and interview process, support to be provided, and the calendar, for transparent and objective reasons, provided that it is announced clearly on the website in advance.

J. OTHER PROVISIONS

In the resolution of disputes, information, data, and records provided by KADEM shall constitute conclusive and exclusive evidence; and the Istanbul Anatolian Courts and Enforcement Offices shall have jurisdiction.