Lead the future: Big Bang Startup Challenge

ITU ARI Teknokent’s incubation centre ITU Çekirdek has announced the TOP 50 startups that will take the stage at the Big Bang Startup Challenge, which brings together the best local and global startups of the year with investors, private companies and the public. The event, which will take place on 18-19 December at UNIQ Istanbul, is open to everyone and will feature 50 startups that will make waves in the world of entrepreneurship, presenting in 7 different industry verticals. For the first time this year, the presentations of the startups taking the stage at this year’s Big Bang, themed ‘Lead the Future’, will be simultaneously broadcast live to global investors. The Big Bang, which provided more than TL 1.28 billion in awards, investments and cash support to startups last year, is expected to create a much larger resource.

The TOP 50 startups have been determined in the Big Bang Startup Challenge, the award-winning event held for the 13th time this year by ITU Çekirdek, the incubation centre that provides 360-degree support in the growth journey of all entrepreneurs aiming to commercialise their technological products and services. 50 startups presenting in 7 different sectoral verticals (Automotive and Mobility with the support of OİB, Energy with the support of EPDK & Elder, ITU Seed, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Online Marketplace & Online Platform, Health and Life Sciences, Talent and Success) will sweat for awards and investments at Big Bang, which is preparing to create a new wave in the world of entrepreneurship at UNIQ Istanbul on 18-19 December 2024. Global investors will be able to watch the presentations live online at the event, which will feature many innovations this year.

On the first day of the two-day Big Bang, the TOP 50 startups will be grouped by sector and make presentations; on the second day, the awards and investments of the startups will be announced. A famous artist will also take to the stage, and this year there will be expert speakers from various sectors. Special shows and DJ performances will keep the excitement going throughout the two days. Bringing together all the players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Big Bang will give participants the opportunity to meet and network with many technological innovations at the startup stands and experience areas that will be set up in the foyer. Big Bang promises to be a must-attend event for companies that want to meet early innovators, for employees who want to become entrepreneurs, or for technology enthusiasts who want to catch up with the latest technology.

The road to success in the entrepreneurship ecosystem passes through ITU ARI Teknokent

ITU Çekirdek Incubation Centre continues to support the entrepreneurship ecosystem with the responsibility of being an impactful incubation centre, supporting an average of 500 startups every year and adding millions of dollars of value to the Turkish economy. ITU Çekirdek, which has trained 5,000 technology startups in 13 years and contributed to the establishment of 1,900 of them, has also helped the startups create jobs for 12,000 people and receive investments of more than $280 million. In 2022, the Big Bang stage witnessed 341 million TL worth of awards, cash and investments, and in 2023, this amount increased 3.5 times and reached 1.28 billion dollars. A new record is expected to be broken in 2024.

The story of the journey from the Big Bang stage to the global stage

Hundreds of startups that developed their technologies with the support of ITU Çekirdek, strengthened by the awards and investments they received on the Big Bang stage, have become global success stories. Among these startups, there are startups that have established a distribution network in more than 40 countries, received investments from Silicon Valley, changed sectors and are the unicorn candidates of the future. It is expected that in 2024, as in previous years, Big Bang startups will be the ones to be talked about.

The TOP 50 startups that will take the stage at the Big Bang Startup Challenge 2024 are as follows

Automotive & Mobility Stage with the support of the Automotive Exporters’ Association (OIB)

BBA VTOL: Providing safe, fast and innovative solutions in the civil, logistics and healthcare sectors with long-range, advanced technology unmanned aerial vehicles.

Cyberware: An automotive-focused cybersecurity platform that secures in-vehicle and off-vehicle communication lines by supporting multiple communication protocols and remote software update capabilities.

Digiforming: A manufacturing technology that uses vision to continuously monitor, machine learning to predict process degradation, calculates ideal press parameters and autonomously controls the press to prevent quality defects.

FIRE-STOPPER: Produces fire protection materials from mining waste in an environmentally friendly way.

Genoride: Develops an innovative pedal support technology for electric bicycles and produces micromobility vehicles that incorporate this technology.

Infotainment Studio: An innovative infotainment software that enhances the enjoyment of music, movies and games in the car, enriching the entertainment experience with 10 unique functions and creating new business models between automotive and show business.

Pomeco: Upcycling of waste pomegranate shells; offers a plant-based leather alternative, a durable bio-material that can be used in the textile, automotive and furniture sectors.

XZElectronics Automesh System: It is an intelligent vehicle and city system with automatic adjustment structure, long-range network mesh structure, data transmission and control mechanism.

Energy Stage with the support of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) and the Electricity Distribution Services Association (Elder)

Aylara Power Solutions: Provides solutions for electricity distribution companies, industrial plants and the service sector by developing power electronic devices that solve voltage dips, voltage sags, harmonics, phase imbalance and reactive power consumption problems in low-voltage (LV) networks.

Bluearf: It is an artificial intelligence-powered sustainability management platform that enables companies to calculate, analyse and report without the need for expertise, pre-calculations and complex tasks.

Deepwise Technology: It creates a digital twin of the sites of organisations such as location-based energy companies, telecom companies and local governments, and makes investment and failure predictions with its artificial intelligence-powered algorithm.

Exar: Provides a wide range of industrial solutions from virtual factory tours to 3D product configurators using AR, VR and XR technologies, accelerating the digital transformation of businesses.

InofaTeknoloji: In industrial facilities, it integrates with existing cameras at no additional cost, detects anomaly situations with artificial intelligence-based image processing technology and reports them with mobile feedback.

MIOTE: Artificial intelligence-based maintenance assistant that prevents breakdowns in industrial electrical equipment.

SENSED AI: Using artificial intelligence and remote sensing technologies to continuously monitor the physical and environmental health of buildings and critical infrastructure, making safe and sustainable living conditions accessible to everyone around the world.

SmartIR: Developing artificial intelligence technologies that provide deep insights for security and operational efficiency through physiological and behavioural analysis of objects and people.

ITU SEED Stage

Bitloops: A front-end wizard that converts Figma designs into professional, responsive React code and automatically manages images, fonts and styles.

Fanera: Connecting football fans around the world with interactive, web3-enabled content and monetisation opportunities.

GiveMove: Creates solutions that increase the mobility, autonomy and independence of physically disabled people from an early age.

GreenFi: Artificial intelligence software for ESG due diligence and risk management for banks and corporations.

TailorCast: Creates personalised product page listings for e-commerce based on shoppers’ needs and context, displaying the right offer in real time on websites or mobile applications.

Machines & AI Stage

Connected Wise: Provides image-based technologies that maintain communication with intelligent traffic signs and low-cost in-vehicle devices when vehicles are outside the connected infrastructure.

EasyPack AI: Provides warehouse and goods management in a 3D environment; optimises shelf, pallet and vehicle placement with artificial intelligence.

Optimimax: AI-enabled eco-design software that enables manufacturing companies to minimise the environmental impact of product design processes by predicting and minimising environmental impacts and achieving sustainable production.

Plant Protection Robot: uses autonomous robots to fight harmful micro-organisms, protect the plant and monitor optimal growth.

Remora: Produces unmanned underwater robots that can clean, maintain and report on yachts, boats and ships underwater without landing.

Reportql: SQL based and artificial intelligence powered data visualisation tool.

Rownd Precision: Designs and develops production workbenches that can be used by industry professionals in a way that is easy for anyone to access and use.

SKYMOD Technology: Provides secure and customisable Artificial Intelligence solutions to businesses, automating business processes and increasing productivity.

Skills & Success Stage

Elaves: screenless smart toys suitable for cognitive development of children aged 0-3, supporting multilingual acquisition; developing management application for parents.

FlukerApp: It is an artificial intelligence based foreign language practice application.

Kant Akademi: It is an AI-powered learning platform that combines specialised tools to provide personalised and accessible exam preparation.

Meetgate: It is an artificial intelligence-based candidate evaluation platform that enables companies to find the right candidate as soon as possible by objectively determining the skills and compatibility of candidates.

NepTune: It is an AI-powered, gamified music education application that enables children to learn different instruments in a fun and interactive way.

Remote Tech Work: It is a marketplace platform that connects companies with pre-screened, high-level remote developers and maximises global performance by facilitating recruitment and talent management with artificial intelligence.

Sorbil: Using artificial intelligence-powered personalised learning, it enables people who cannot achieve their educational goals to learn effectively.

Life Science & Wellbeing Stage

Actinsports: Develops IoT-based sensors and applications to monitor and analyse the performance of athletes.

Boly: It is a mobile application that transforms the sports experience by exploring the fields and bringing athletes together, earning rewards while playing and tracking performance.

Corpowid: Provides equal access to the digital world for people with disabilities by making websites accessible to everyone.

Heppi: An innovative mental health solution with a high impact rate for clients and psychologists, combining traditional psychotherapy techniques with artificial intelligence and advanced technology tools.

Omica: Develops non-animal testing platforms that offer innovative solutions in the field of biotechnology and are developed locally.

Viseur AI: Provides an ecosystem (SaaS) where healthcare professionals can develop their own artificial intelligence products for diagnosis and treatment in radiology and digital pathology, and use them in their own business environments.

E-COMM & Platforms Stage

GlanceAI: It is a platform that quickly creates 3D models from product images or videos, enriches the user experience by adding interactive 3D viewers to websites, and produces high-quality video and visual content.

Kolaj: It is a marketplace that provides fast and effective promotional video content by bringing together e-commerce brands and video content creators on an artificial intelligence-powered platform.

Nativia Technology: Redefines customer interaction with hologram technologies and artificial intelligence-based digital human solutions.

Nodify Bilişim: It is a process automation and document management platform that easily integrates with ERP and CRMs, enabling companies to efficiently digitise their operations by adapting their unique business processes without writing code.

Omnitive: It is an artificial intelligence-powered automation and efficiency solution for all order-related processes of enterprise retail companies.

Pushouse: It is a new generation marketing system that offers profit and sales increasing solutions to e-commerce companies.

Valufy: It builds an online negotiation bridge between investors and entrepreneurs with artificial intelligence powered and fully autonomous business valuation and scoring services.

Waste Log: It facilitates waste management with digital transformation, optimising waste processes by combining transparency and effective tracking.

The event is free and open to everyone. Detailed information and registration for technology and startup enthusiasts: bigbang.itucekirdek.com