ITÜ ARI Teknokent, Türkiye
"Innovation on Wheels: ITÜ Çekirdek Automotive Program"
Ä°TÜ ARI Teknokent and Automotive Industry Exporters' Association (OÄ°B) support startups developing innovative automotive and mobility solutions through Ä°TÜ Çekirdek's Automotive Program. Designed to accelerate commercialization, the program offers access to mentorship, R&D infrastructure, investor matchmaking, and sectoral partnerships—empowering entrepreneurs to rapidly develop impactful technologies and grow within a strong innovation ecosystem.
Purpose of the solution
The automotive sector is embarking on a new generation journey with electric powertrain systems, autonomous driving technologies, vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) and shared mobility solutions. This transformation brings systems that personalize the driving experience, reduce traffic accidents, optimize transportation times and reduce carbon emissions. Now, vehicles are not just transportation, but also smart platforms that produce and analyze data. With the evolution of the concept of mobility from ‘ownership' to ‘access', multi-model transportation scenarios are becoming more accessible and sustainable. In this new order, battery technologies, smart fleet management, software-based driving assistants, and solutions that work integrated with infrastructure are among the topics that make a difference in the sector. For this reason, the development of innovations that will shape the mobility ecosystem is more strategically important than ever. In line with this vision, Türkiye's entrepreneurship and innovation base Ä°TÜ ARI Teknokent and the export leader Automotive Industry Exporters' Association (OÄ°B) have been joining forces since 2015 to provide special support to initiatives that will shape the mobility solutions of the future. The Automotive Program, implemented within the body of Ä°TÜ Çekirdek, is designed to accelerate the commercialization journeys of startups developing innovative ideas in the automotive field and to support the development of products and technologies that can compete globally. Within the program's scope, comprehensive support is provided throughout the year to startups working in areas such as driving safety, battery and energy management, software solutions, material technologies, autonomous vehicle systems and micro-mobility. Thanks to multi-faceted support mechanisms such as mentoring, investor and industry collaborations, laboratory and prototyping opportunities, and visibility opportunities, the productization and commercialization processes of startups are accelerated. Ä°TÜ Çekirdek Automotive Program has been continuously contributing to the transformation of the sector by supporting visionary entrepreneurs who will add value to the automotive and mobility ecosystem for 10 years.
Impact
Within the scope of the Ä°TÜ Çekirdek Automotive Program, startups supported by entrepreneurship training, prototyping workshop, R&D fund, sales coaching, expert mentoring network and OÄ°B's industrial power; gain the right to participate in the "Future of Automotive Design Competition" held in October. Startups that stand out in this competition are supported by OÄ°B with both cash awards and gain the right to participate in the Ä°TÜ Çekirdek Growth Program, which is structured to increase sales and revenue-oriented growth by working one-on-one with KPI coaches for one year. At the same time, they have the opportunity to take part in the Ä°TÜ Çekirdek Big Bang Startup Challenge stage, one of the largest entrepreneurship events in Türkiye, held in December. In this stage, in addition to the additional cash support provided by OÄ°B's contributions, they also have the chance to benefit from an investment and prize pool exceeding $90 million. More than 450 automotive startups have been supported to date within the scope of this special program, which has been carried out with OÄ°B support since 2015. These startups received a total investment of over 48 million US dollars, reached a turnover of 21 million US dollars and provided employment for over 1,800 people. As Ä°TÜ Çekirdek, in line with the visionary approach of OÄ°B, we continue our work to support innovative startups in the automotive and mobility vertical and to develop technologies that will provide added value to our country and the world. In this direction, we work in cooperation with incubation centres operating in different regions of Türkiye and create a strong partnership network in the startup screening and support processes.
What is innovative about it?
A program was designed that focuses not only on traditional automotive solutions but also on transformational technologies that will shape the future of the sector. The program supports a wide range of innovative projects, from electric and autonomous vehicles to battery management, from smart transportation systems to micromobility solutions. Thanks to the technical infrastructure, investor access, sectoral collaborations and expert mentor pool it offers to entrepreneurs, it enables ideas to quickly turn into prototypes and commercialize products. At the same time, it contributes to the digitalization of the mobility ecosystem by paving the way for big data, artificial intelligence and sustainability-focused solutions. This structure, which effectively uses university-industry-public collaboration, establishes a bridge between the world of entrepreneurship and the automotive industry, paving the way for technologies that can compete on a global scale to emerge from Türkiye.
Who are the main users?
It is of great importance in terms of providing the opportunity to present creative ideas to a wide range of participants, from professionals working in the sector to researchers, from students studying in related fields to academics and automotive enthusiasts over the age of 18.
Who runs it?
The Automotive Program is carried out by the Ä°TÜ Çekirdek Incubation Centre operating within the Ä°TÜ ARI Teknokent, Türkiye's leading technology development zone, in cooperation with the Automotive Industry Exporters' Association (OÄ°B). The program is managed with a holistic structure that brings together the worlds of entrepreneurship, industry and academia. While OÄ°B ensures that the program is shaped in line with the automotive industry with its sectoral knowledge and industry network, Ä°TÜ Çekirdek is responsible for the operational processes in the design and implementation of support processes such as entrepreneurship training, mentoring, R&D support, prototyping opportunities, creating sales channels and investor matches. Local incubation centres operating all over Türkiye also support the regional spread of the program and reaching more entrepreneurs. Thanks to this cooperation model, the Ä°TÜ Çekirdek Automotive Program enables the emergence, development and commercialization of innovative initiatives by strongly integrating the industry and entrepreneurship ecosystem.