{"id":889880,"date":"2026-10-21T09:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/889880\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T09:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:52:12","slug":"kadem-opens-center-to-boost-womens-entrepreneurship-in-turkiye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/889880\/","title":{"rendered":"KADEM opens center to boost women\u2019s entrepreneurship in T\u00fcrkiye"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM<\/a>) opened a new center in Istanbul on Tuesday to help women turn innovative ideas into technology businesses, attract investment and reach new markets.<\/p>\n

The Women in Innovation Information Center, established with support from the Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA), was inaugurated alongside a DemoDay event, where 20 female entrepreneurs presented their projects to investors.<\/p>\n

The center will offer services ranging from training, mentorship and business development to investor meetings and coworking facilities. It will also include a child care room, with daily and professional child care services planned for events.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kac\u0131r said T\u00fcrkiye had made significant progress in developing its technology entrepreneurship ecosystem, emphasizing that women\u2019s participation in research, innovation and production was essential to the country\u2019s economic development.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we can proudly say that T\u00fcrkiye ranks first in the world in the proportion of women inventors among international patent applicants,\u201d Kac\u0131r said.<\/p>\n

He noted that the Scientific and Technological Research Council of T\u00fcrkiye (T\u00dcBITAK) had provided TL 32 billion ($645 million) in support to 233,000 female researchers over the past 23 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s strong participation in science, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and production is a guarantee of our country\u2019s comprehensive development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Government highlights support for women<\/p>\n

Kac\u0131r said the government had introduced a range of funding and training mechanisms to help entrepreneurs turn early-stage ideas into commercially viable businesses.<\/p>\n

Through T\u00dcBITAK\u2019s BiGG program, which supports innovative projects at the idea stage, more than 2,700 technology startups had been established, he said. He also pointed to TEKNOFEST, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s major technology and aerospace festival, as a platform that has helped bring thousands of startups into the country\u2019s entrepreneurship ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The minister said more than 85,000 female entrepreneurs had received TL 23.5 billion in support through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization of T\u00fcrkiye (KOSGEB) over the past 23 years. Entrepreneurship training programs have also provided training to 947,000 women since 2010, while development agencies have allocated TL 2.5 billion to 568 projects supporting female entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

T\u00fcrkiye has more than 13,000 companies operating in 115 technoparks, employing 36,000 women, while research and development and design centers employ more than 28,000 women, Kac\u0131r said.<\/p>\n

He added that technology entrepreneurship offered opportunities to strengthen the country\u2019s economic and technological independence and improve its competitiveness internationally.<\/p>\n

Women still face investment barriers<\/p>\n

KADEM Board of Trustees Chairperson S\u00fcmeyye Erdo\u011fan Bayraktar said the new center marked another stage in KADEM\u2019s efforts to strengthen women\u2019s participation in entrepreneurship, an initiative that began with the launch of the Women in Innovation Program in 2015.<\/p>\n

The program has received nearly 3,000 applications and hosted 235 entrepreneurs at its camps to date. In its 10th edition, it attracted 429 applications from 22 countries, reflecting its expanding international reach, she said.<\/p>\n

Bayraktar also presented findings from the KADEM Women\u2019s Entrepreneurship Report, prepared in collaboration with StartupCentrum to examine the opportunities and challenges facing female entrepreneurs in T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s technology sector.<\/p>\n

Between 2019 and 2025, one in every four startups receiving investment had at least one female co-founder, while 571 female founders received a combined $1.4 billion in investment, she said.<\/p>\n

However, women founders accounted for only 19% of private-sector investment in 2025, highlighting the continued need to improve access to financing and business opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese figures show that women have the potential to become entrepreneurs, but they need more opportunities and resources to turn that potential into reality,\u201d Bayraktar said.<\/p>\n

She emphasized that women\u2019s knowledge, skills and productive capacity could contribute more substantially to economic growth, employment and competitiveness if they were better represented in entrepreneurship, technology and innovative production.<\/p>\n

Citing Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data for 2024, Bayraktar said T\u00fcrkiye had 1.24 million female entrepreneurs. The proportion of female entrepreneurs rose from 13.1% in 2002 to 18% in 2025, she added.<\/p>\n

She also pointed to government initiatives supporting women entrepreneurs, including KOSGEB\u2019s Entrepreneurship Support Program, the Women\u2019s Empowerment Strategy Document and Action Plan, and rural development funding mechanisms.<\/p>\n

KADEM connects women with investors<\/p>\n

The DemoDay program showcased 20 female entrepreneurs working across fields including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, agriculture, food technologies, gaming and sustainability.<\/p>\n

The event was designed to connect entrepreneurs with investors, potential business partners and other stakeholders, giving them an opportunity to present their solutions and demonstrate their growth potential.<\/p>\n

Bayraktar said the new center was designed as a meeting point where entrepreneurs could access a range of services under one roof, develop their businesses and establish new partnerships.<\/p>\n

Alongside coworking facilities, consultancy, mentorship and investor meetings, the center will provide a space for training and experience-sharing. Its child care room is intended to make participation in events more accessible to entrepreneurs with caregiving responsibilities.<\/p>\n

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