02 Ara Over 1.74 billion TL in awards and investments were announced at Türkiye’s largest entrepreneurship event.
Big Bang Startup Challenge transforms the entrepreneurship stage into a realm of impact!
Over 1.74 billion TL in awards and investments were announced at Türkiye’s largest entrepreneurship event.
Türkiye’s largest entrepreneurship event, the Big Bang Startup Challenge, took place for the 14th time this year. During the event, the top 50 technology start-ups, selected from Türkiye and around the world, took to the stage across eight distinct verticals to present their technologies to investors, business leaders and the public. More than 1.74 billion TL in awards, grants and investments were announced.
Hosted by ITU ARI Teknokent’s ITU Çekirdek incubation centre, the Big Bang Startup Challenge marked its 14th edition this year. Taking place on 25–26 November 2025 at UNIQ Istanbul under the theme “ImpactVerse”, the event provided a platform for the influence of entrepreneurship to expand across the universe.
Over 1.74 billion TL in awards, grants and investments were announced.
Hosted once again by M. Serdar Kuzuloglu, Big Bang 2025 brought together the entrepreneurship and technology ecosystem for two full days. On the first day, 50 start-ups took to the stage across eight categories: Automotive and Mobility (supported by the Automotive Exporters’ Association), Energy (supported by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority – EPDK and the Association of Electricity Distribution System Operators – ELDER), ITU SEED for international start-ups, Life Sciences/Medical Technologies, Machinery and Artificial Intelligence, Real Estate and Construction Technologies, HR and Regulatory Technologies, and E-Commerce and Platforms. Their human-centred technology solutions drew significant attention.
On the second day, the highly anticipated awards and investments were announced. Breaking a new record, the Big Bang 2025 stage celebrated more than 1.74 billion TL in awards, grants, and investments. The startups that impressed investors the most and ranked in the top five were Bloocell, Werer Energy, Arya AI, Vignetim and Biges Kompozit.
Investments in ITU Çekirdek start-ups AI Agent TR, Beebird, CranioCatch, Laska Teknoloji, MyAirCharger, Pardon AI, RouteMe, SKYMOD and WERER Energy were also announced on stage. Highlights included Laska Teknoloji, which received an investment of 800,000 dollars, and Pardon AI, which received an investment of 1.5 million dollars. A total of 75 ITU Çekirdek start-ups received investments throughout 2025, and these were celebrated during the event.
At the event’s finale, ITU ARI Teknokent General Manager Prof. Dr. Attila Dikbas announced the total award, grant and investment amount, underlining the ecosystem’s growing investment capacity with these words:
‘Today, on this stage, we are celebrating the 1.74 billion TL in investments received by our ITU Çekirdek startups to date. Last year, we proudly announced 2.85 billion TL — equivalent to 88 million dollars — at the Big Bang stage. However, of those investments, one advanced-stage startup received 64 million dollars, while the rest collectively received 24 million dollars. This year, 75 of our startups collectively received 41 million dollars, demonstrating the ecosystem’s grassroots strength and sustainable growth. In summary, we continue to steadily increase our ecosystem’s investment capacity. Achieving this during a period of cautious global investment is one of the strongest indicators of the trust placed in ITU Çekirdek startups.”
ITU ARI Teknokent shares its global hub vision and investment fund
ITU ARI Teknokent’s General Manager, Prof. Dr. Attila Dikbas
In his opening speech at the start of the Big Bang event, ITU ARI Teknokent’s General Manager, Prof. Dr. Attila Dikbas, highlighted ITU ARI Teknokent’s 22-year journey and the evolution of its ecosystem. Emphasising that the combination of Istanbul Technical University’s 252-year heritage, the courage of entrepreneurs, the curiosity of researchers and the trust of investors has enabled them to build one of the world’s leading innovation communities, he stated that their goal is to transform ITU ARI Teknokent into a true global hub.
Prof. Dikbas also drew attention to the strengthening of sectoral depth through vertical programmes implemented in collaboration with partners such as the Automotive Exporters’ Association (OIB), the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), the Association of Electricity Distribution System Operators (Elder), Halkbank and AstraZeneca. Prof. Dikbas also announced new vertical programmes to be launched with Togg and TTGV in 2026. He highlighted the ITU ARI Teknokent Venture Capital Investment Fund, established with Maxis. With a target size of 25 million dollars, the fund will provide strong support for startups’ scale-up journeys.
Collaboration and impact take centre stage in entrepreneurship.
Istanbul Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal
In his opening speech on the first day of Big Bang, Istanbul Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal emphasised that, while innovation is everywhere, generating impact is becoming increasingly critical. Highlighting their aim to enhance impact, particularly within team-based start-ups, he stated:
‘We want our entrepreneurs to collaborate and learn how to work together. At a time when problems are becoming more complex, variable and dynamic, we must adopt an approach that says ‘we think with you’, rather than ‘we think for you’. In the fifth industrial revolution that we are experiencing, being human-centred, acting sustainably and responding agilely to rapid changes play a key role”.
ImpactVerse panel brings together ecosystem leaders
Togg CEO M. Gurcan Karakas, Plug and Play Partner Omer Gozen, Maxis General Manager Ozgur Temel, and TTGV Secretary General Hanzade Saricicek
Following the opening speeches, the ImpactVerse panel convened Togg CEO M. Gurcan Karakas, Plug and Play Partner Omer Gozen, Maxis General Manager Ozgur Temel, and TTGV Secretary General Hanzade Saricicek. Moderated by ITU ARI Teknokent General Manager Prof. Dr. Attila Dikbas, the panel covered topics such as fund structures, acceleration models and new partnership perspectives that will amplify the global impact of start-ups.
Maxis General Manager Özgür Temel stated that the Venture Capital Investment Fund, launched in collaboration with ITU ARI Teknokent, will focus on technology start-ups and aims to create a scalable investment pipeline. Plug and Play Partner Omer Gozen emphasised the need to further integrate entrepreneurship and commercialisation into university curricula and highlighted the importance of investing in defence technologies, particularly those focusing on artificial intelligence, data centres and national security. Mr Gozen also announced that Plug and Play has relocated its Turkish office to ITU ARI Teknokent and will develop new joint programmes with the ecosystem.
TTGV Secretary General Hanzade Saricicek announced that TTGV and ITU ARI Teknokent are launching a new collaboration in climate and clean technologies. This initiative will focus on increasing the number of green-tech startups and providing greater support to companies in this field. Togg CEO M. Gurcan Karakas emphasised that they have launched a new vertical programme in digital health and artificial intelligence together with ITU ARI Teknokent, and noted that Togg adopts a sustainability-centred and human-oriented approach in its innovation strategy.
Technology-Focused Future Scenarios Discussed
Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer, Chairwoman of the Board of ITU ARI Teknokent
On the second day of Big Bang, the opening speech was delivered by Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer, Chairwoman of the Board of ITU ARI Teknokent, who emphasised that diversity is the driving force of innovation.
“Diversity is not just a social ideal, it’s the engine of innovation. Technology that lacks women and diverse perspectives is incomplete and unable to represent society. As ITU ARI Teknokent, we are building an innovation culture centred on humanity and inclusivity”.
Following her speech, Prof. Dr. Zehra Çataltepe, the CEO of Tazi.Ai and a renowned international expert in artificial intelligence, delivered a keynote speech. This was followed by a global visionary address from Tariq Qureshi. Together, they explored technology-focused future scenarios. Spread over two days and enriched with special shows and interactive performances, the event concluded with an unforgettable ‘Sakali Akustik’ performance by Harun Tekin and Koray Candemir.
Big Bang 2025 was supported by the Elginkan Foundation as the Diamond Partner, and by EPDK, ELDER, and the Automotive Exporters’ Association (OIB) as Platinum Partners. It also had the backing of a strong partner network, including AGESA, AKSigorta, Neova Sigorta, Yapı Kredi Teknoloji, Bacaci Yatirim Holding, Enerjisa, Hayat, TEB, and Yalçiner Patent. All of these partners play a key role in helping start-ups build global success stories.
