TeknoDeha, an AI-powered educational technology startup, won first prize at the Greater Good Challenge İzmir, held in cooperation with Yaşar University, the TOBB İzmir Women Entrepreneurs Board, coordinated by the İzmir Commodity Exchange, and the BEBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation. Egebostan Cooperative was selected as the runner-up, while Nexo placed third, as social impact-oriented projects competed for a total prize pool of 200 thousand TL.

The grand final of the Greater Good Challenge İzmir, held in cooperation with Yaşar University, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) İzmir Women Entrepreneurs Board, coordinated by the İzmir Commodity Exchange, and the BEBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation, brought together young entrepreneurs, the business community, academia and stakeholders of the social impact ecosystem at Yaşar University.

As part of the program, which aims to support young people developing innovative solutions to social and environmental problems, finalist teams had the opportunity to present their projects to the jury following training and mentoring processes.

AWARDS PRESENTED TO THE WINNERS

Following the final presentations, the winning projects were determined based on the jury's evaluation.

TeknoDeha, which developed an AI-powered educational technology solution that analyzes students' learning profiles to provide personalized learning experiences, won first prize. The project, which aims to promote equal opportunities in education and individualized learning, received the grand prize of 100 thousand TL.

Second prize was awarded to Egebostan Cooperative, which aims to empower şevketi bostan growers in Torbalı Çaybaşı through a cooperative model and bring local production to digital marketplaces and chain supermarkets. The project, which attracted attention for its focus on local development and sustainable production, won a prize of 60 thousand TL.

Third prize went to Nexo, an internal corporate social life platform designed to increase social interaction among employees by bringing together events, ride-sharing, a points system and venue discovery. The project, which aims to strengthen social connections in working life, received a prize of 40 thousand TL.

In the competition, which distributed a total prize pool of 200 thousand TL, the winning teams gained the opportunity to further develop their projects and take their ventures to the next stage.

A MAJOR GATHERING FOR SOCIAL IMPACT-ORIENTED ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN İZMİR

Held in İzmir for the first time, the Greater Good Challenge attracted attention as more than just an entrepreneurship competition; it served as a platform that strengthens young people's capacity to create social impact, brings participants from different disciplines together around a common purpose and encourages the development of sustainable solutions.

Throughout the competition, participants received support in entrepreneurship, business model development, impact-oriented thinking and project presentation, while also having the opportunity to work with expert mentors in their respective fields. At the end of the program, the finalist teams presented their projects to jury members, competing both for prizes and for new opportunities to develop their ventures.

FINALIST PROJECTS OFFERED INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS

The projects of the finalist teams were evaluated by a jury consisting of Deniz Celep, Chairperson of the Executive Board of the TOBB İzmir Women Entrepreneurs Board, Selin Yiğitbaşı Ducker, Founder and CEO of the GOODSTED Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration Platform, and Korhan Beba, General Manager of the BEBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation.

Representing the business community, social impact and entrepreneurship ecosystem, the jury members evaluated the projects in terms of social benefit, innovation, feasibility, sustainability and growth potential, while emphasizing the importance of young entrepreneurs' solution-oriented approaches and the creative ideas they developed to address social problems.

The seven finalist projects attracted attention with solutions developed in various fields, ranging from healthcare technologies to education, and from artificial intelligence applications to sustainable agriculture.

EcoTech Women developed a smart waste management system that sorts waste at its source using AI-powered Edge AI technology and analyzes sustainability data.

Egebostan Cooperative presented a social enterprise model aimed at empowering şevketi bostan growers in Torbalı Çaybaşı through a cooperative model and bringing local production to digital marketplaces and chain supermarkets.

What Are My Rights? stood out as a digital legal platform powered by artificial intelligence and a verified database, providing individuals with easy access to their current legal rights.

İzmir People's Academy appeared before the jury with a social enterprise model that aims to make access to knowledge more inclusive through its volunteer-based structure, bringing free education and learning opportunities together under one roof.

Nexo introduced its internal corporate social life platform, which aims to increase social interaction among employees by bringing together events, ride-sharing, a points system and venue discovery.

TeknoDeha attracted attention with its AI-powered educational technology solution that analyzes students' learning profiles to provide personalized learning experiences.

VibraGuard CareBridge developed a data-driven healthcare and social resilience solution for elderly people, people with disabilities and individuals living alone, detecting falls, inactivity and emergencies and sending notifications to their relatives and support networks.

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP DISCUSSED

The final program opened with speeches by Lecturer Kevser Çimenli, Manager of the Yaşar University Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Office, Prof. Dr. Yiğit Kazançoğlu, Vice Rector of Yaşar University, Korhan Beba, General Manager of the BEBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation, and Deniz Celep, Chairperson of the Executive Board of the TOBB İzmir Women Entrepreneurs Board.

One of the inspiring parts of the event was an entrepreneurship talk featuring Prof. Dr. Ali Beba, Founder of the BEBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation. Moderated by Deniz Celep, Chairperson of the Executive Board of the TOBB İzmir Women Entrepreneurs Board, the talk addressed the role of entrepreneurship in social transformation, the importance of supporting young people's innovative ideas and the future of the impact-oriented entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Following the talk, Prof. Dr. Ali Beba signed copies of his book Starting Where You Fell Silent, in which he describes his "Learn, Earn, Give Back" philosophy, for participants.

MENTORS GUIDED YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Mentors who contributed to the development of finalist teams throughout the program were also honored with certificates of appreciation at the final event.

Barış Kaşka, Founding Attorney of Lexius Legal, Pırıl Akcan, Managing Attorney of Lexius Legal, Burcu Başaran, Sustainability Expert and Communication Strategist at MBC Sustainability Consulting Services Ltd. Co., Füsun Demolder, Director of Arkas Holland BV, Meltem Kolday, Lecturer at Dokuz Eylül University, Pınar Rua Aksu, Vice President at Oracle, Prof. Dr. Seda Genç, Director of the School of Applied Management Sciences and Head of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at İzmir University of Economics and Co-Founder of Genç ve Naturel Gıda, and Yasemin Erkut, General Manager of LokumOps, participated in the program as mentors.

Sharing their knowledge and experience with young entrepreneurs, the mentors provided guidance to teams on topics such as business model development, sustainability, law, technology, entrepreneurship and impact management, making significant contributions to the development and maturation of their projects.

YOUNG PEOPLE'S IDEAS ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE

The Greater Good Challenge İzmir demonstrated that young people can develop ventures that not only create economic value but also provide solutions to social and environmental problems.

The program organizers emphasized that supporting young people in social impact-oriented entrepreneurship is of critical importance in achieving sustainable development goals, while stating that the Greater Good Challenge İzmir will continue to grow by reaching more young people in the coming years.

Giving visibility to ideas developed for a better society and planet, the Greater Good Challenge İzmir once again demonstrated that young people can become active agents of social transformation through innovative solutions.