Meta and Hello Tomorrow Turkey collaborated to launch the BAŞLAT Program, which has started its second term this year, with a launch event held on December 15 at Facebook Station.
At the launch of the program, which includes 20 startups in the categories of Smart Cities, Digital Health, Educational Technologies, Agricultural Technologies, and Data & Cyber Security, entrepreneurs set up stands to showcase their technologies. Throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to experience the technologies and meet with the entrepreneurs.
The opening speech of the event was delivered online by President of TÜBİTAK, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal. He stated that the topics of the BAŞLAT Program are prioritized in TÜBİTAK's other programs and that the program's future-oriented contributions are very valuable. He added that initiatives that begin with platforms like the BAŞLAT Program have an important innovative perspective on problem-solving in processes.
Then, Sezen Yeşil, the Head of Public Policies in Turkey and Azerbaijan at META, and Timur Topalgökçeli, the Founder & Chairman of Hello Tomorrow Turkey, took the stage for the program's promotional speech. Sezen Yeşil mentioned that this year they are particularly focusing on AR, VR, and XR technologies in the BAŞLAT Program.
Following this, a panel featuring graduates from the first year of the BAŞLAT Program was held. The graduates on the panel stated how they could find their direction through mentorships and trainings, and how they realized their shortcomings through the trainings.
After the break, Shankar Ravi, a Research Associate at the Digital, Data and Design Institute, Harvard University, delivered an online talk titled “Exploring the Impact of AR & VR on Industries.” He noted that the Metaverse universe combines our imagination with reality and that he conducts his work to solve real-world problems.
Before the closing, the second panel titled Sectoral Expert Opinions: Current Developments, Barriers, and Opportunities in BAŞLAT Sectors (Health, Agriculture, Education, Smart Cities, Cyber Security) took place. Panelist Prof. Dr. Melih Bulut stated that the new trend in health is not treatment but prevention and development. He discussed the need to find initiatives that create affordability. Panelist Mona Aykul noted that programs like BAŞLAT solve the on-the-ground problems of initiatives. She also emphasized the importance of advancing based on science.
