43 startups that passed the pre-selection in the Mercedes-Benz StartUP competition, in which 633 startups from 60 provinces of Turkey participated, came together in an online training camp.
The selection process continues in the Mercedes-Benz StartUP competition, organized as part of Mercedes-Benz's StartUP program, which has supported more than 170 startups in different ways such as business development trainings, workshops, monetary awards, and national and international network development.
This year, the first 633 startups to pass the pre-selection among 60 entrepreneurs who applied to the competition, which was held within the framework of the project, which was held within the framework of the project that contributed to one or more of the United Nations "Sustainable Development Goals", benefited the society and the environment, and had a connection with technology, competed in the online competition held on 14 June 2021 and attended a one-day training camp specially designed for entrepreneurs. Özlem Vidin Engindeniz, Mercedes-Benz Automotive Executive Board Member and Daimler Global IT Solutions Center Director, Mercedes-Benz Türk Bus R&D Director Emre Kuzucu and Mercedes-Benz Türk Used Truck and Bus Sales Director Didem Daphne, who are among the jury members, attended the training camp. Özensel also participated.
Applicant startups contribute to “Sustainable Development Goals”
It was noted that all applicants made a primary or secondary contribution to at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals, and applications were received from all Sustainable Development Goals categories. 10 percent of the startups applied to the 12th target "Responsible Production and Consumption", 10 percent to the 3rd target "Health and Quality Life", and 10 percent to the 9th target "Responsible Production and Consumption". Industry contributes to Innovation and Infrastructure. Other prominent targets contributed by the startups are; The 7th target was “Accessible and Clean Energy” and the 4th target was “Qualified Education”. Among the startups that applied, the focus was on projects aiming to offer solutions in the fields of "Education, Environment, Agriculture, Consumption and Health Technologies".
20 percent of those who pass the pre-selection are women entrepreneurs.
The intense interest of women entrepreneurs in the Mercedes-Benz StartUP competition continues. 60 percent of the 20 startups that passed the pre-selection this year are women. The education level of 60 percent of those who made it to the top 80 is at undergraduate and postgraduate doctorate level. While the ages of those who entered the top 60 ranged from 19 to 45 this year, 23 percent of those who passed the pre-selection consisted of participants under the age of 25.
Mercedes-Benz gives more than 150.000 TL prize
In the next steps of the project, 60 startups that pass the first screening will prepare their final business plan presentations using the information they received in this training camp, and the works will be evaluated by the jury. After this evaluation, the top 10 contestants will participate in the 2-week “StartUP Boost” program in July.
Each of the winners of the "Transportation Solutions", "Social Benefit" and "Special Jury Award" categories this year will receive a grand prize of 50.000 TL. All projects remaining in the top 10 will be eligible to participate in a special development program called “StartUP Boost” and the German Enterprise Ecosystem module, where they will have the opportunity to get to know the European startup ecosystem closely and develop potential collaborations. In addition, for the first time this year, the top 10 startups will receive one-on-one mentoring support from Mercedes-Benz executives tailored to their needs.
The boot camp is equipped with content that will benefit entrepreneurs
In the 2021 education program; Entrepreneurs were informed by Mercedes-Benz executives about the company's activities, mobility strategy and R&D studies. Then, Business Networking Academy Founder Ertuğrul Belen gave a speech on “New Normally Networking”. After Ertuğrul Belen, Impact Hub Istanbul Co-Founder Ayşe Sabuncu informed the participants about “Sustainable Development Goals”. Throughout the day, experts on entrepreneurship continued to provide information that would contribute to the development of the competitors. Aylin Gezgüç, ARBOR Benefit Design Founder and Board Member of Support to Life Association, made her presentation titled “Social Entrepreneurship / Individual Leadership” and “Elevator Pitch Training” was held. Following this session, the entrepreneurs, who were divided into different groups, told the jury members, including Mercedes-Benz representatives, about their startups and answered the questions of the jury members.
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