As ARI TEKNOKENT PROJE GELİŞTİRME PLANLAMA ANONİM ŞİRKETİ (TIN: 0740264905) (“İTÜ ARI Teknokent”” or “Company”) located “Reşitpaşa Mah. Katar Cad.No:4 İ.Kapı No:1101 Sarıyer/İSTANBUL” we pay the utmost attention to the security of your personal data. With this awareness, we give a particular importance to process and preserve the personal data of the natural people whom we interact in accordance with the Law no. 6698 (“PDPL” or “the Law”), secondary legislations (regulation, declaration etc.) and binding resolutions of Personal Data Protection Committee.

As a result of our sense of responsibility, we, as the “Data Controller” process your personal data considering legal limitations and purposes mentioned below; by providing all necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure the appropriate level of security, to prevent unlawful processing of personal data and unlawful access to personal data and to ensure the protection of personal data.

This Data Protection Statement aims to announce the personal data of the related persons/data owners with whom İTÜ ARI Teknokent has contacted while performing the main area of activity on the website in full compliance with the principle of transparency, and within this text, the Data Protection Statement is made regarding the personal data processing activities within the scope of the Company’s main activity and business operations.

1. Identity of the Data Controller

Big Bang Startup Challenge, Turkey’s largest entrepreneurship event, is a major platform operated under İTÜ ARI Teknokent, which connects innovative business ideas and startups with the business and investment ecosystem. The platform has been developed in line with the principles of transparency, reliability, and ecosystem growth, offering entrepreneurs fast and effective access to investors and potential customers.

One of the key contributions of Big Bang is to centralize the flow of information and data sharing within the entrepreneurship ecosystem, thereby supporting the discovery of new technologies and business models. The platform also assists stakeholders in verifying and analyzing data of startups with financial and commercial potential, enabling more informed decision-making and resource management. Big Bang Startup Challenge aims to enhance the analytical capacity of the entrepreneurship ecosystem by providing sustainable growth tools and connections.

2. Purposes of Personal Data Processing

Your personal data shall be collected and processed by the Company within the limits specified in the Law, in a limited and measured manner in accordance with the law, in good faith and always related to the following purposes of;

• Managing event registration, participation, and accreditation processes; ensuring physical and digital security of the event; addressing technical issues and enhancing operational efficiency,
• Communicating with applicants, participants, investors, and stakeholders; sending announcements, information updates, and commercial electronic messages regarding Big Bang and İTÜ Çekirdek programs,
• Facilitating potential collaborations and networking opportunities between entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and corporate stakeholders,
• Evaluating applications, projects, and business models; managing grant, award, and financial support processes; announcing successful startups to the public,
• Taking visual and audio recordings (photos, videos) for the promotion of the event and publishing them through promotional channels (website, social media, etc.),
• Measuring program performance, conducting statistical studies, analyses, and official reports on the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and implementing improvements to enhance quality and impact,
• Fulfilling legal obligations arising from relevant legislation; responding to requests from authorized public authorities; managing potential legal dispute processes,
• Ensuring the commercial and legal security of natural and legal persons with whom the Company maintains business relations,
• Managing risk and ensuring the security of data controller operations.

3. Personal Data Collection Methods and Cause of Actions

Your personal data transmitted by you in directly oral, written or electronic media are processed by the Company with automatic, semi-automatic and under condition of being part of a data recording system: non-automatic methods by means website or similar applications and software.

In this regard, the general personal data classified below are processed based on the cause of actions stated in Article 5/2 of the Law.

While creating the classification below, both the execution of the Company’s business processes, and the website activities have been taken into consideration and the necessary Data Protection Statements and/or consent notifications regarding each process and operation of the Company are notified to the relevant groups of people in the form of a layered Data Protection Statements or separately through various means.

In line with your demand, the purpose of processing each personal data category and data type will be detailed and communicated to you through the other personal data processing processes maintained within the Company.

4. Transfer of Personal Data and Purposes of the Transfer

Your personal data may be transferred, for the purposes stated above and to ensure the uninterrupted execution of the Company’s commercial operations and business processes, where necessary, based on your explicit consent as per Article 8/1 of the Law. In addition to this, your data may also be transferred without explicit consent in accordance with Article 8/2(a) of the Law, in cases where it is explicitly stipulated by law, required for the data controller to fulfill its legal obligations, necessary for the establishment, exercise or protection of a right, or required for the legitimate interests of the data controller provided that it does not harm the fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject. Moreover, your personal data may be transferred abroad in accordance with the legal bases set forth under Article 9 of the Law, by implementing all necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure data security.

• Legally authorized public institutions and organizations, judicial and administrative authorities,
• Legal entities and natural persons under private law permitted by other legislations,
• Private and public institutions and organizations authorized to audit the Company,
• To business partners from whom services are received or with whom the Company cooperates for the execution and development of the Company’s activities,
• To suppliers of the Company only, when necessary,

In this regard, you can withdraw the explicit consent you have given for the transfer at any time and consult with the Company’s officials. The relevant data protection statements and consent statements are notified to the related persons in the form of gradual disclosure or in various ways unique to the Company’s processes and activities.

5. Rights of the Data Subjects Under the Law

You may apply to İTÜ ARI Teknokent at any time and request to exercise your rights arising from the Article 11 of the PDPL: “a) to learn whether your personal data has been processed, b) to demand for information if your personal data have been processed, c) to learn the purpose of the processing of your personal data and whether these personal data are used in compliance with the purpose, ç) to know the third parties to whom your personal data are transferred in country or abroad, d) to request the rectification of the incomplete or inaccurate data e) to request the erasure or destruction of your personal data under the conditions referred to in Article 7, f) to request reporting of the operations carried out pursuant to sub-paragraphs (d) and (e) to third parties to whom your personal data have been transferred, g) to object to the occurrence of a result against the person himself/herself by analyzing the data processed solely through automated systems, ğ) to claim compensation for the damage arising from the unlawful processing of your personal data”. You may submit your requests regarding your rights and the enforcement of the Law by filling and signing out the application form that you can obtain from us or from  bigbang.itucekirdek.com;

• Send it with wet-ink signature “Reşitpaşa Mah. Katar Cad.No:4 İ.Kapı No:1101 Sarıyer/İSTANBUL” via notary public, by registered mail with return receipt requested at your discretion for ease of proof or by your personal application,
• By sending your application via e-mail to ariteknokent@hs03.kep.tr using the registered electronic mail (KEP) address assigned to your name,
• By sending an e-mail kisiselverilerim@ariteknokent.com.tr using the e-mail address notified to the Brand by you and registered in the brand system.

As the personal data owner, in the application you will make to exercise your rights mentioned above and which contains the explanations regarding the right you have request to exercise; the requested matter needs to be clear and understandable, the subject needs to be related to yourself and in case you are acting on behalf of someone else, you will need to submit your special power of attorney certified by the notary in this regard. In accordance with the “Communiqué on The Principles and Procedures for the Request to Data Controller”, it is mandatory to include name-surname, signature, Turkish Identification (“ID”) number (for foreigners, nationality, passport number or ID number if any), residential or workplace address for notice, e-mail address, telephone and fax number and the subject of the request in your applications. Applications that do not fulfill such elements will be rejected by İTÜ ARI Teknokent or directed to the valid application channels.

All registered or unregistered intellectual property rights such as title, business name, trademark, patent, logo, design, information and method contained in this Site belong to the site operator and owner brand or the person signified and are under the protection of national and international law. Visiting this Site or utilizing the services on this Site does not give any rights to the intellectual property rights in question. The information contained on the Site cannot be reproduced, published, copied, presented and/or transferred in any way. The whole or part of the Site cannot be used on any other website without permission.

All employees of İTÜ ARI Teknokent are equipped with education on the Law on the Personal Data Protection Law, periodically informed, highly aware and have gained the notion of confidentiality. İTÜ ARI Teknokent acts with awareness and sensitivity in all activities carried out by the Company and throughout the life cycle of personal data within the Company.

İTÜ ARI Teknokent reserves the right to make changes in this Data Protection Statement, due to the Law, secondary legislations and committee resolutions.

Each related person who visits the bigbang.itucekirdek.com website is deemed to have accepted the above-mentioned terms. İTÜ ARI Teknokent reserves the right to change all products and services, pages, information, visual elements on the Site without prior notice.

This data protection statement has been updated on 10.02.2026.