'Women have ideas, talents and entrepreneurial courage'

Speaking at the opening ceremony held at the KADEM Women in Innovation Information Center in Üsküdar Bulgurlu, KADEM Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, said that they experienced two excitements at the same time, that they opened the Women in Innovation Information Center, which they had dreamed of for a long time, and that they also hosted the DemoDay program of the new center for the first time.

Noting that these two important steps they have taken are a new phase of the work they have been continuing for years to support women entrepreneurship, Bayraktar explained that this journey started in 2015 with the Women in Innovation Project, and since then, they have transformed the project into a strong structure where women can develop their innovative ideas, and they have prepared environments where they can access the knowledge and experience they need in their entrepreneurship journey.

Bayraktar stated that they organized trainings and camps, and created different opportunities from investor meetings to prototype workshops, from crowdfunding to international collaborations, and said, "The project we started 9 years ago has become a powerful platform that touches the lives of thousands of women and transforms their ideas into products and their dreams into enterprises. We have received nearly 3 thousand applications to date. We have hosted 235 entrepreneurs in our camps. This year, in the 10th period of the Women in Innovation Program, it has grown on an international scale, with a total of 22 countries." "We received 429 applications. Of course, each of these numbers is extremely valuable to us, but what is truly valuable is the transformation behind these numbers." he said.

Stating that there are many difficulties that women face in their entrepreneurship journey, and that women need to understand these obstacles correctly and develop concrete solutions for their needs in order to reveal their potential, Bayraktar said, "We conducted a new study in line with this need. We prepared the KADEM Women Entrepreneurship Report in cooperation with StartupCentrum. In our report, we examined the current situation, needs and difficulties faced by women entrepreneurs operating in the field of technology in Türkiye in their entrepreneurship journey." he said.

"Women have ideas, talents and entrepreneurial courage"

Pointing out that there are quite remarkable data, Bayraktar said: "For example, one in every four startups that received investment between 2019 and 2025 has a female co-founder. 571 female founders received a total investment of 1.4 billion dollars. However, the share of female founders in private sector investments remained at 19 percent in 2025. These figures actually tell us that women have ideas, talents and entrepreneurial courage. What they need is more opportunities and opportunities to realize this potential." "Increasing women's participation in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation processes has become one of the main topics of economic development today. Because the development capacity of a country is directly related to the quality of the human capital it has, and the extent to which this accumulation can participate in production processes determines the direction of economic development."

Drawing attention to the contribution of women's knowledge, talent and production potential to economic growth, employment and competitiveness, Bayraktar stated that policies supporting women entrepreneurship in Türkiye were developed with KOSGEB supports, strategy documents and rural development investments.

Bayraktar stated that, as KADEM, they are trying to fulfill their responsibilities within this large structure and said, "The Women in Innovation Program, which we have implemented with the Guided Project Support of the Istanbul Development Agency, is one of our works that directly brings this approach to the field. With this project, we aim to establish an ecosystem where women can develop their ideas, grow their businesses, reach new markets and take a greater part in decision-making mechanisms. The DemoDay we will hold today is actually an important part of this ecosystem we are trying to establish." he said.

"It will pave the way for women entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into sustainable businesses"

Ziya Taşkent, Member of the Board of Directors and Secretary General of Istanbul Development Agency (İSTKA), stated that the KADEM Women in Innovation Information Center should not be seen only as a physical location, and that they consider this center as a development platform where innovative ideas turn into economic and social value and new initiatives are shaped.

Noting that it is necessary to mobilize the potential of all segments of society for a strong development, Taşkent said, "Supporting women as entrepreneurs who develop technology, produce innovation, receive investment and provide employment will contribute greatly to the competitiveness of our country. I believe that the Women's Information Center in Innovation will pave the way for women entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into sustainable and scalable businesses by bringing together opportunities to access information, mentorship, finance and investment networks." he said.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül stated that women have various needs and potentials in social life and commerce, and said that they sometimes see KADEM in the courthouse, next to a victimized woman, sometimes next to a successful woman, and sometimes at events paving the way for women.

Pointing out that production habits are changing, Gül said, "Our consumption habits and marketing strategies are changing. I believe that in this place, women will maximize their potential in innovation. We know and see that women are successful in the work they do." he said.

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, KADEM Chairman of the Board Canan Sarı, entrepreneur women and guests attended the program.

Women entrepreneurs presented their projects to investors

At the DemoDay held after the opening program, female entrepreneurs presented the projects they developed to investors, stakeholder institution representatives and actors of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Innovative solutions developed in different fields, from artificial intelligence to biotechnology, from agriculture and food technologies to sustainability, were introduced for new collaborations and investment opportunities.

KADEM continues to support women to take a stronger place in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, transform their innovative ideas into sustainable business models, and participate more effectively in economic life through the Women in Innovation Program and the new Information Center.