The winners of the “Women in Innovation Thematic Acceleration Program,” launched by the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM), have been announced.
According to a statement released by the foundation, the Thematic Acceleration Program – implemented with grant support from the Istanbul Development Agency as part of the Women in Innovation Program – was held in Istanbul from May 16-18. It aimed to support women entrepreneurs in the fields of food and biotechnology.
Through the program, women were offered entrepreneurship training, mentorship, investor meetings, corporate collaborations and networking opportunities to strengthen their position in the business world.
Women who applied to the program with projects in food and biotechnology were evaluated by a panel of experts based on criteria such as entrepreneurial potential, innovation in the business model, market potential and team qualifications.
Over the three-day program, participants had the opportunity to develop their projects further and, on May 18, they presented their work in two categories: pre-incubation and idea stage. In both categories, innovative and original projects were presented to the jury, and three projects from each category were selected for awards.
Award-winning women entrepreneurs were granted a range of support, including five weeks of online mentoring, one year of intellectual and industrial property consultancy, access to co-working spaces and, for the first-place winner in the pre-incubation category, the right to attend the Women in Innovation Entrepreneurship Camp.
In the Pre-Incubation Category, the winning projects were: "SalmSens" by Sümeyra Savaş, "Cherry" Mic by Iraz Aktay and "Hubixos" by Dilek Kelleci. In the Idea Stage Category, the awards went to "Lady Bites" by Özlem Gündüz, "Celuvia" by Aslı Taşçı and Mevlüde Yurtsever and "NöroNest" by Bilge Akbay and Hatice Akbay.
Speaking at the program’s closing event, KADEM Chairperson Canan Sarı stated that the Women in Innovation Project has helped many women entrepreneurs realize their dreams over the years, saying: “Some of them founded their own businesses, became suppliers to major companies, were employed by reputable institutions, or continued to win new awards. Our project has grown and become a brand over the years. Thanks to the interest from women entrepreneurs and the support of our stakeholders, it has become even stronger.”
Sarı noted that in its eighth term, the project was officially approved by the Istanbul Development Agency as a “Guided Project” and has since achieved the status of a “program.”
She added: “This year, we launched the Thematic Acceleration Program for the first time. With this program, we aimed to empower women entrepreneurs, particularly in the fields of food and biotechnology, by helping them access knowledge and connect with investors. In a short time, they gained valuable experience in entrepreneurship, mentorship, investor engagement and corporate collaboration. But perhaps most importantly, they took their first steps into a strong network of women entrepreneurs.”
