Local start-up assistance
ITU provides assistance in the local community supporting the start-up of financially and socially sustainable businesses through relevant education, mentorship programmes, training workshops and access to university facilities.
Our university has an incubation center which provides assistance in the local community supporting the start-up of financially and socially sustainable businesses. ITU Çekirdek Incubation Center supports all entrepreneurs and start-ups who have technological and cutting-edge products or business ideas.
ITU SEED Accelerator Programfor International Startups
“ITU SEED, celebrates its 10+ years anniversary and is ranked in the top five and best among the university incubation centers by UBI Global. In order to inspire technology entrepreneurs at different stages and contribute to their success in the global market, ITU SEED offers all the support an entrepreneur needs in their journey, such as training, consultancy, mentoring, networking, corporate business partners, press & PR support, and investment.”
İTÜ Çekirdek Incubation Center
Established in 2011 with the visionary approach of İTÜ and İTÜ ARI Teknokent, İTÜ Çekirdek Incubation Center has aimed since its foundation to support technology ventures from different sectors, helping them become fast-growing startups with scalable business models. Celebrating its 10th year and ranked the number one university-linked incubation center in the world by UBI Global, İTÜ Çekirdek provides technology entrepreneurs at different stages with inspiration and contributes to their market success.
İTÜ Çekirdek Incubation Center is the ideal destination for entrepreneurs and startups with technological and innovative products or business ideas who believe their solutions are innovative and ready to achieve commercial success.
Additionally, ITU Çekirdek provides training, consultancy, mentoring, networking, corporate business partners, press & PR support and services to inspire technology startups at different stages and contribute to their success in the market. ITUNOVA TTO (Technology Transfer Office) and ITU ARI (Technocity), which conduct their activities by combining their efforts for national development, have also collaborated within the scope of the BİGG ITU ÇEKİRDEK program. Moreover, ITU GINOVA offers several training programmes not only for students but also for the local community.
FOR MENTORS ITU ÇEKİRDEK
Mentoring, which contributes to entrepreneurs receiving support in different fields and creating a roadmap, is among the most important contributions for İTÜ Çekirdek entrepreneurs. At ITU Çekirdek, which has more than 500 mentors who are experts and experienced in their fields, mentors come together with initiatives that will shape the future of Türkiye and share their personal and sectoral knowledge and experiences. Thus, they become involved in a large and powerful social network that includes both other mentors and entrepreneurs.
Mentors at ITU Çekirdek
BİGG | İTÜ Çekirdek
Make a Difference in BİGG with İTÜ Çekirdek, the Implementing Organization That Has Secured the Most Support, and Receive an Investment of 900,000 TL!
As of the 2025 1st Call period, we have provided TÜBİTAK BİGG support of over 80.9 million TL to a total of 263 startups!
The TÜBİTAK 1812 – Investment-Based Entrepreneurship Support Program, also known as the BİGG Investment Program, is designed to help entrepreneurs bring their technology and innovation-focused business ideas to life. The program supports activities from the idea stage to market entry. Within the scope of the program, entrepreneurs deemed eligible by TÜBİTAK are provided with an investment of up to 900,000 TL through the TÜBİTAK BİGG Fund in exchange for a 3% equity share.
Since 2015, İTÜ Çekirdek has continuously served as an Implementing Organization of the TÜBİTAK BİGG Program. We carry out our activities in collaboration with Kapsül Incubation Center and Lonca Entrepreneurship Center.
ITU ARI Teknokent
“ITU ARI Teknokent at the center of technology, innovation, R&D and entrepreneurship”
İTÜ ARI Teknokent aims to contribute to Türkiye technological development by providing the most suitable environment and facilities for technology companies and entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize their technologies.
Believing that success is “planting culture” and “value adding” through its activities and developed programs, İTÜ ARI Teknokent aims to always move "Forward Together" by not only striving to develop its brands such as İTÜ Çekirdek, ITU SEED, Big Bang, İTÜ Magnet, İTÜ Magnet Fab, Innogate and ARI TTO but also by providing value and support to the brands of its stakeholders.
İTÜ ARI Teknokent focuses on the following goals to strengthen Türkiye’s technological infrastructure:
● To be the center of R&D and innovation activities in Türkiye and Istanbul,
● To support, develop, and direct the synergy of R&D companies through its academic network.
In this direction, for a versatile, effective, and sustainable university-industry collaboration, academics are encouraged to work with technopark companies utilizing the infrastructure and academic knowledge power provided by İTÜ ARI Teknokent.
Thus, located in Maslak, the heart of Istanbul, which is the trade center of Türkiye and even the world, İTÜ ARI Teknokent has achieved many successful projects since its establishment.
Active in ITU Ayazağa Campus, ITU ARI Teknokent has been founded on an area of 1,655,000 m2 with 10 buildings with more than 380 technology companies built. It employs more than 8,000 R&D personnel and has completed more than 5,800+ successful R&D projects, with a total of 11+ billion dollars R&D income with its companies; It has realized a total export of 1+ billion dollars.
In line with the performance targets that will be developed and defined each year, İTÜ ARI Teknokent expects the companies within its structure to increase their R&D revenues through the new technologies they will produce.
İTÜNOVA Technology Transfer Office (TTO)
İTÜNOVA Technology Transfer Office (TTO) offers academic studies and new technologies developed in Istanbul Technical University (ITU) to the benefit of the industry to meet their and help with the development of Türkiye by adding value. Founded as the technology transfer interface of ITU, İTÜNOVA TTO aims to connect knowledge and industry for commercialization.
As a body to facilitate access to and generate and commercialize scientific and technological information, and support technology transfer and entrepreneurship, İTÜNOVA Teknoloji AŞ was established in February 2013 and was named İTÜNOVA TTO under the TÜBİTAK 1513 Program in January 2014. İTÜNOVA Teknoloji AŞ, the ‘Technology Transfer Office’ of ITU, is particularly positioned as a ‘company’ that expeditiously provides services in private sector standards in partnership with ITU Foundation and ITU ARI Teknokent.
The vision of İTÜNOVA TTO is to increase scientific and technological knowledge production capacity of ITU on an international level and commercialize the generated knowledge to the benefit of the society. Its mission is to enhance scientific and technological knowledge production capability through academy-industry collaboration and implement new technologies built on this knowledge, increase the radius of action for additional research making use of national and international funds, protect the resulting knowledge, and provide suitable platforms for entrepreneurs who will create this knowledge.
ITU Ginova
ITU Ginova is the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Application and Research Center operating within Istanbul Technical University. As the heart of Türkiye's leading entrepreneurship ecosystem, our center acts as a bridge that transforms innovative ideas into successful businesses.
Since 2014, our center, which supports technology-based entrepreneurship, has been offering mentoring, training programs, networking events, and access to ITU's extensive technology resources to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Education, mentorship programmes, training workshops and access to university facilities in 2024:
Jump Start Entrepreneurship Training from ITU GINOVA
The “Jump Start 2024 Entrepreneurship Training” organized by ITU GINOVA opened its doors to ITU students on March 13, 2024, with its first module.
The spring semester 2023-2024 training of the “Jump Start Quick Start to Entrepreneurship Certificate Program,” organized by the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (GİNOVA) each semester and open to all ITU students, was held on March 13, 2024, with its first module.
ITU GINOVA Jump Start Week 4
The Jump Start Quick Start to Entrepreneurship Program, organized by ITU GINOVA, has completed its training process. The four-week program ended with the “Jump Start Demo Day” held on April 17, 2024.
The “Jump Start Quick Start to Entrepreneurship Program,” organized by the Istanbul Technical University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (ITU GINOVA) and open to all ITU students each semester, has completed its training process for the 2023-2024 Spring Semester.
ITU GINOVA “Jump Start” Entrepreneurship Training Program Has Begun!
The “Jump Start Entrepreneurship Quick Start Certificate Program,” traditionally organized each semester by the ITU Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (GİNOVA) and open to all ITU members, began its 2024-2025 Fall semester training on October 23, 2024. The program opened with Associate Professor Adnan Veysel Ertemel's lecture on “Introduction to Entrepreneurship.”
As part of the program, aspiring entrepreneurs will learn how to design experiments to test their business ideas, create business models, and prepare for investor presentations. The training will also focus on advanced topics such as “Design Thinking for Everyone” and “Technology Commercialization & Licensing Strategies for Entrepreneurs.” Through the “Experiment Design” workshop, participants will gain the ability to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) suitable for their business ideas.
The Gateway to Entrepreneurship: ITU GINOVA Jump Start Demo Day
The Jump Start Fast Start Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship, organized each semester by the ITU Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (GİNOVA) and open to all ITU members, completed its 2024 fall semester training with a Demo Day event held on December 4. The program offered many theoretical and practical opportunities for young people who want to take their first steps into the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The program began on October 23, 2024, with the “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” course taught by ITU GINOVA Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adnan Veysel Ertemel and continued with an intensive six-week training series. During the training process, participants gained knowledge and skills in important topics such as Design Thinking, Business Model Design, Experiment Design, Technology Commercialization and Licensing Strategies, and Preparing a Venture for Investment. Led by expert trainers and professionals in their fields, these sessions guided aspiring entrepreneurs on commercializing their business ideas and managing marketing processes.
Participants also developed their projects with mentoring support in experiment design workshops. The training process was enriched with both face-to-face and asynchronous modules, offering a comprehensive 30-hour experience. At the end of the program, participants had the opportunity to participate in advanced entrepreneurship training, meet with investors, and receive one-on-one mentoring.
ITU Students' Success in the TÜBİTAK 1812 Investment-Based Entrepreneurship Support Program
ITU students earned the Seal of Excellence with their business ideas developed under the TÜBİTAK 1812- Investment-Based Entrepreneurship Support Program (BiGG) 2024-2 call.
Artificial Intelligence and New Generation Entrepreneurship Seminar at ITU
As part of Town Hall Seminars organized by ITU GINOVA, İşbank Artificial Intelligence Factory coordinator Kadir Bulut met with students at ITU Ayazağa Campus on February 14, 2024.
As part of Town Hall Seminars organized by Istanbul Technical University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (GINOVA), Kadir Bulut, the coordinator of Artificial Intelligence Factory operating under İşbank, met with ITU students in a program held at Ayazağa Campus MED A-A15 on February 14, 2024.
At the meeting focused on the concept of “New Generation Entrepreneurship,” which is based on the goal of creating innovative ideas and designs that impact society, the current role of artificial intelligence in the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the opportunities it presents were explored. The program, in which opinions about how artificial intelligence technologies can be used more effectively were expressed, also included an interactive environment where students shared their entrepreneurial ideas.
Support for Deep Technology Entrepreneurship from ITU and Halk Yatırım
A cooperation protocol aimed at supporting deep technology entrepreneurship is being signed between ITU 1773 Technopark and Halk Yatırım AŞ.
ITU, ITU 1773 Technopark, and Halk Yatırım Securities Inc. are signing a cooperation protocol aimed at supporting early-stage deep technology-based startups.
Under the protocol, initiatives for technological products developed based on engineering breakthroughs and scientific innovations communicated through ITU 1773 Technopark will be supported through fund campaigns created within the Fonlabüyüsün Crowdfunding Platform.
Thanks to this collaboration, entrepreneurs operating within the Technology Park will gain access to the necessary financing through a profit-sharing financing model, as well as the opportunity to find potential customers.