The winners of the New Ideas New Businesses (YFYİ) acceleration program, organized by Middle East Technical University (METU) Technopark, have been announced. The Special Award from OSTİM, which has supported the program since its inception, went to the Momentum team for their wind turbine project. The winning team will also install the turbine on the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone building, which is designed as a high-performance green building.
The award ceremony for the 12th annual YFYI Acceleration Program, organized by METU Technopark, was held at the METU Culture and Congress Center. A total of 23 teams presented their innovative projects in the T-IDEA and T-START categories at the YFYI Demoday.
“The number of entrepreneurs is increasing” ODTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök stated that the YFYİ Acceleration Program has led to the establishment of over 200 technology companies to date.
Noting that the program, first held in 2005, received more than 8,000 applications, Kök stated that the number of entrepreneurs they support through the program is increasing every day, and that they pave the way for them with various awards and training. The Rector of METU said, "Our main reward is that METU Technopark provides all the support our entrepreneurs need to enter the business world as successful companies and represent our country in the best way on every platform."
Over 200 Projects Incorporated into Companies Mustafa İhsan Kızıltaş, General Manager of METU Technopark, stated that Türkiye is experiencing difficult times, but the advancements in science and technology, along with entrepreneurial energy, are very motivating. Explaining that over 200 projects have been incorporated into companies and contributed to the economy within the 12-year period of the Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YFYİ), and that over 1,000 people have been employed, Kızıltaş shared his view that, "We know that by supporting science, technology, and our entrepreneurs, we can develop this country."
Efficient Wind Turbine at Low Wind Speeds The Karayel Wind Turbine project, developed by the Momentum team, received the OSTİM US Camp Special Award, a supporter of the competition since its inception. The Momentum team, consisting of Abdurrahman Ekinci, Müge Yüksel, Rahmi Erdem Yıldız, Yiğit Vural, and Zeynep Çakır, aimed to create a wind turbine called Karayel that, thanks to its unique design, can operate efficiently even at low wind speeds and generate three times more power than conventional wind turbines.
OSTİM Chairman Orhan Aydın, who presented the award to the young talents, placed the first order with Momentum for the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Green Building, which is designed with building and construction technologies focused on heating, insulation and renewable resources.
AWARDS At the highly exciting YFYI Demoday, the Elginkan Foundation's grand prize of 100,000 Turkish Lira and access to training and a demo at the T-JUMP Acceleration Center went to the Isıteks project. In the public vote, Talaşa came first, Profit second, and Matmas third. The Cybersecurity Assessment Award was given to the W Media project.
Other awards and winning projects are as follows: Onedio Special Award: W Media, Deplike, Planot; OSTİM Award: Momentum; ODTÜ Teknokent Special Award: Otsimo and Diplike; Arçelik Grand Award: Talassa; Microsoft Grand Award: W Media; Undersecretariat of Defence Industry Special Award: Isıteks; TEB Grand Award: İndisera. All award-winning groups also received the T Jumpe Ventures Award worth 50,000 Turkish Lira.
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