EmpowerMe Demo Day awards young entrepreneurs in Istanbul

The EmpowerMe Youth Program held its Demo Day event in Istanbul on September 17, showcasing young entrepreneurs from Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. The initiative is a collaboration between Alshaya Group Eurasia, the Starbucks Foundation, and the Habitat Association.

Following a series of bootcamps and hackathons involving 106 startups and 370 young participants across the three countries, 14 teams entered a two-month international acceleration program. This phase provided mentorship, business model development, and access to investor networks.

At the final Demo Day, eight teams presented their ideas to a jury of experts and investors. Cortex AI secured first place with a $10,000 gift certificate, followed by Remotion in second place ($5,000) and Hyrex in third ($2,500). Thermanova received a special jury appreciation award.

The EmpowerMe program aims to support the development of over 255,000 young people across the Eurasia region over a three-year period.