As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our lives at full speed, many stakeholders of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Turkey began to work together within 48 hours to reduce the impact of this crisis and to gather innovative solutions to the problems it created in social & logistical terms. As Hello Tomorrow Turkey, we were also among the stakeholders of Coronathon Turkey, which took place on March 21-22, bringing together entrepreneurs, mentors, official institutions, civil society organizations, entrepreneurship centers, professional chambers, agencies, and all volunteers striving to be part of the solution from all over Turkey, hosting 150 solution proposals that comprehensively addressed the social & logistical problems of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 1500 entrepreneurs applied for this solution marathon that lasted 48 hours. During the process, they had the opportunity to have one-on-one meetings with over 120 mentors. Among the valuable mentor team supporting entrepreneurs throughout Coronathon Turkey was Timur Topalgökçeli, founder of Hello Tomorrow Turkey, who was present to answer questions regarding “Business Model, Technology, and Implementation.” The winning projects of Coronathon Turkey, where all entrepreneurs and stakeholders actively participated, garnered great interest and support.
In the first phase of the pre-evaluation process, the first 30 projects were selected from 150 projects. Among these projects, there are valuable ideas ranging from the distribution of test kits to capsules providing disinfection, from an application for online sports that facilitates socialization to the reorganization of unused trains to provide shelter for homeless people. In the continuation of our article, we will thoroughly examine the 12 winning and funded projects.
In the second phase of the evaluation, considering the impact power of the projects, their feasibility, the competence of team members, and the team's effort on the project, it was decided to reward 12 projects among the 30. The project that stood out and was entitled to receive the first prize and a reward of 20,000 TL was Medibook. Medibook provides health services through video and remote monitoring modules for groups that need health services but are advised not to go to the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, both patients and physicians can monitor their health status remotely without endangering their own health.
In the final phase of the evaluation, the other 11 rewarded projects were announced without ranking, and it was planned to award each of them a prize of 10,000 TL. If we examine these 11 projects:
Biotel: This application contributes to the use of idle capacity for virus testing by listing measurement devices in the Molecular Biology and Genetics departments in Turkey.
Studio Live Lessons App: This application brings people in need together with wellness experts such as mindfulness, meditation, psychology, coaching, yoga & fitness experts to reduce the social & psychological effects of the quarantine period. The application, which is a live 1/1 meeting & lesson app, includes customized programs for adults and children.
Expona: This is an experience marketplace platform that offers online workshops from home for individuals who are feeling isolated at home, unable to socialize, or want their children to engage in more varied activities.
CoroWarner: A mobile application that alerts you instantly and anonymously if you have come into contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 in any open environment or social interaction; and then provides autonomous recommendation guidance (using an artificial intelligence algorithm) based on your level of interaction with your current status.
CoronApp: This mobile application tracks individuals' interactions with each other in the background using built-in sensors like Bluetooth signals to notify people they have come into contact with in case of a virus diagnosis in a citizen with whom they interacted.
Neoanka: Developed based on artificial intelligence, it aims to classify health complaints other than COVID-19 complaints to the correct specialization field with symptom analysis algorithms that analyze disease symptoms and to enable patients to benefit from health services by having online consultations with specialists from the relevant specialization field.
Stay Safe! Covid-19: A mobile application that detects human density with geolocation support and provides this data to its users, while also allowing users to check their own health situations based on known and unknown symptoms of the disease, and keeping statistics of symptom and density data.
Kolkola: A "volunteer" marketplace that brings together Kolkola volunteers, NGOs, and sponsors. Any NGO or group uploads a “task” that they plan and are responsible for to the marketplace. (For shopping, etc., for elderly people who are restricted from going outside due to COVID-19.)
CoGuard: A chatbot application that brings together experts and institutions to answer people's health-related questions and requests caused by Covid-19 and similar issues.
Fact Checker: A system that will assist news verifiers in combating misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the existing information pollution in our country.
BirCan: A platform that brings together volunteers, NGOs, municipalities, veterinarians, pet owners, and other stakeholders to provide support for stray animals.
As the Hello Tomorrow Turkey family, we are happy to continue our support for the Turkish entrepreneurship ecosystem during these days we stay at home. We would like to thank once again the Coronathon Turkey team for their efforts in leading this wonderful organization, and the entrepreneurs who carried Coronathon Turkey to success with their valuable projects. Our wishes are to stay engaged with entrepreneurship, technology, and health even during these challenging days.
Hello Tomorrow Turkey Team
