Uludağ Textile Exporters Association (UTIB) by the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO), Uludag Ready-made Clothing and Apparel Exporters Association (UHKIB), Bursa Eskisehir Bilecik Development Agency (BEBKA), Bursa Technology Coordination and R & D Center (BUTEKOM) and TUBITAK The TechXtile Start-Up Challenge, which was organized in cooperation, ended with the award ceremony. More than 3 thousand 500 domestic and foreign business professionals visited over 5 thousand job interviews held in the fair. Nearly 500 foreign company representatives from 40 countries participated to the fair.
13 projects finals
In the last part of TechXtile Start-Up Challenge, which was organized with the aim of increasing the value-added export with new technologies and methods in textile, 13 finalized projects competed. Ufuk Batum, CEO and Project Coordinator of Ventures & Mentors League; and Pınar Taşdelen Engin, Chairman of UTİB; Ümmü Gülsüm Torman and Şeyma Kaya reached the first place with the Yastık Pillow Preventing Sleep Apnea ’project, and Ahmet Yellice with the Yer Nemflora’ project and Bülent Kula shared the project Tasarım Domestic Design with Flue Gas Treatment Systems with Zero Waste Approach ’project. In addition, 3 R & D Centers that received the project writing instruction award were also awarded.
“The process itself was an award”
UTIB President Engin, who made an evaluation about the competition, stated that he had the chance to observe the development of entrepreneur candidates closely during the competition and the biggest award was this development. ‘’ The process itself was an award’’ said Taşdelen Engin. “It is not easy to limit the subject in such competitions. But I think we were successful. I hope that we will experience a more successful process in the coming years with a growing TechXtile Start-Up Challenge. ”
Significant prizes to winners
Taşdelen Engin, who also gave information about the awards won in the competition, said, “Our first 6 finalists will receive training from Uludağ University Technology Transfer Office with one-year consultancy and mentorship, patent application support, establishment support and one-year accounting support in Bursa Technical University Incubation Center. The second and third of the project will be given the right to participate in the Techtextil Frankfurt Textile Fair in Germany and the first of the project will have the right to participate in the 10-day Incubation and Accelerator Program in Milan. In addition, the 13 entrepreneurs in the final will receive mentoring support from Ventures & Mentors League CEO Ufuk Batumi for a year. ”
