Techstars Startup Weekend Women Istanbul concludes with Garanti BBVA as lead sponsor
Techstars Startup Weekend Women Istanbul, organized as part of Garanti BBVA's role as Techstars lead partner in Turkey, has come to a close. Held simultaneously with events in 40 cities around the world, the Istanbul leg took place at Salt Galata from March 6 to 8, coinciding with International Women's Day.
Seventy-six entrepreneurs formed 19 teams, each with at least 50% women members, and spent 54 hours developing business ideas into viable startups. Working alongside mentors, the teams built business models, developed products and prepared their pitches before presenting to a panel of judges.
MusiConnect by Team Boundtr took first place, followed by Fluessent by Team Novacore in second and Unisell by Team Vertex in third. Boundtr received TRY 50,000, Novacore TRY 30,000 and Vertex TRY 20,000. The winning team will also present their project at the Global Pitch Competition in May 2026, pitching to one of the world's largest tech funds and an international panel of judges.
Global success stories in the making
Garanti BBVA Deputy CEO Sibel Kaya said: "For nearly 20 years, Garanti BBVA has taken a holistic approach to supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and encouraging women entrepreneurs and connecting them with global networks remains a strategic priority. Through our partnership with Techstars, we are proud to be part of a platform that connects entrepreneurs in Turkey with the wider world. The ideas and business plans that emerged are, we believe, the forerunners of startups that will become global success stories."
Techstars Turkey Chair Aylin Şahin added: "Startup Weekend, held to mark International Women's Day, was an intense and inspiring three days in which women entrepreneurs turned ideas into real projects. What excites us most is that the winning teams will pitch at Techstars' global fund event in May and compete on the same stage as entrepreneurs from around the world. I can't think of a better opportunity to take women's entrepreneurship from the local to the global stage."
Connecting the entrepreneurship ecosystem to the world
Throughout the event, participants networked with mentors, investors and leading figures from the tech ecosystem. Startup Weekend Women is gaining importance as a platform that connects Turkey's entrepreneurship ecosystem with global networks, encouraging women on their entrepreneurship journey and raising the international profile of women tech entrepreneurs. Garanti BBVA continues to expand its support for the ecosystem through technology-focused programs and global partnerships.