During the 48-hour technology marathon organized by YTU Startup House with Türksat as the main partner, innovative projects focused on artificial intelligence and digital transformation competed. Following the challenging process, the three winning startups received their awards at a ceremony. 

Continuing to drive momentum in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, YTU Startup House organized the 100 StaryUP Bootcamp-Hackathon event at the Historical Hamam Cultural Center as part of its collaboration with Türksat to contribute to technology production. Teams composed of YTU students designed end-to-end solution processes for problems they identified themselves during a non-stop 48-hour marathon. Centered around artificial intelligence, digital transformation, data technologies, and next-generation product ideas, the event provided participants with the opportunity to showcase their analytical thinking, technical expertise, and product development skills.

Close monitoring of projects by management

Throughout the hackathon, which was a race against time, the development processes were closely monitored. Prof. Dr. Özer Çınar, Chief Advisor to the Rector of Yıldız Technical University, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Garip, General Manager of YTÜ Yıldız Technopark, met with Yıldız students in their workspaces. The executives, who witnessed the teams’ design and coding phases, walked from table to table to examine the projects firsthand and listened to the participants’ proposed solutions.

Winners of the 48-hour marathon

At the event’s finale, which featured intense competition and innovative ideas, the top three teams eligible for cash prizes were announced following the jury’s evaluation. In the marathon, where projects focused on social impact and sector-specific solutions stood out, the winning teams were ranked as follows:

• First Place Award | SolarVise: An AI-powered feasibility platform that uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to provide roof/land analysis, energy production estimates, and cost-saving and amortization calculations for solar power plant (SPP) investments.
   
• Second Place Award | Hallederiz: An analytics platform that offers AI-powered location guidance for businesses, integrating spatial mapping, AI analysis, and smart reporting to prevent business losses caused by incorrect location selection.
   
• Third Place Award | Damga: An AI-powered mobile app that instantly converts sign language used by individuals with hearing impairments into speech and text, specifically aimed at ensuring accessible communication within government agencies.

The marathon, where abstract ideas were transformed into concrete projects within 48 hours and teams pushed the boundaries of their technical capabilities, was successfully concluded with the emergence of technological innovations that will shape the future.