Frequently Asked Questions

Every 7 months, we open up a new process based on a social or environmental issue: We provide a variety of resources to teams that can produce solutions to these issues, for example, through social initiatives. The process contains three-months long preparation and four-months development periods.

Yes. Anyone can form a team and apply to the Accelerator, regardless of their age, profession or location within Turkey. Teams whose applications pass through the evaluation process become entitled to participate in the 3 month-long solution design phase. After 3 months, teams selected by the jury are advanced to the 4-months solution development phase.

Yes, because we work as teams throughout the Incubation Process.

Kick-Off on November 11, 2017, is the first event that you can get detailed information and listen to the challenges from the experts. November 30, 2017, is the deadline for the application to the Incubation Process. On January 5-6-7, during which you meet other teams selected for the Incubation Process, your innovation coach who will keep you company throughout the program, and mentors who are experts from different fields. Then you decide on a common vision in your team, and adopt the same perspective as imece family on social entrepreneurship, social issues and the Incubation Process. On 15 February 2018, during the Pitching Training, you will learn the techniques to present your team’s social entrepreneurship idea effectively, and get ready for the final presentation.  With your presentation to the jury and the guests on 3 March 2018, you can become one of the 3 teams that will be granted with 120.000 TL, and proceed with the incubation stage. On our Demo Day in July 2018, the teams present the business model that has matured in the incubation period to an audience of various potential supporters and investors ranging from businesses to non-governmental organizations, from angel investors to fund holders. We will update the announcement in case of change in dates.

The deadline for the education challenge was 28 December 2017. All participants were required to apply as teams before the deadline.

A new imece Incubation Process  starts every seven months. You can apply to the next challenges, when it opens in November  2017.

No, our first theme was education and second theme is gender equality, but we are concentrating on different challenges every seven months. In the upcoming Accelerators, we will continue focusing on themes based on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specified by the United Nations.

There are 3 important criteria for us. One is to understand why you would like to work with imece and how you can contribute to the questions presented on the application form. The second one is based on our ability to see your motivation, self-belief, open-mindedness as well as your ability to work collectively, in the video you have submitted. Thirdly, your intent in completing a field research related to your challenge, and sharing the resources you have collected. The same conditions are valid for team applications. We will share the requirements for conducting a field research in our blog after the Kick-off event on the 25th of February.

Now, you will enter a three-months solution design process with your team. Our aim is to create social enterprises, which can provide sustainable solutions to the challenges. First training will be based on design thinking methodology. It will be on December 15-16-17 and take place at ATÖLYE. We will create the first prototypes. We will share the projects via our website and we will open to the contribution of anyone. If you can pass the jury selection at the end of three months, you will enter the solution development phase for four months. You can then get mentorship and grants for your enterprise.

The most important criterion for the jury is the harmony, effort, and discipline you have shown as a team. Another important criterion is your perspective of developing a project. You need to develop and model a sustainable, scalable and social-focused solution.

The teams will present their projects to the jury consisting of the subject experts within 6 minutes. Selected enterprises will be eligible to receive grants and continue the project development process. We will share members of our jury very soon on “What’s New”.

The 3 selected teams will enter an intensive period that lasts for 4 months. They will receive mentorship shaped by their needs, include business development, financial resource creation, volunteer management, and marketing. Selected teams also have a chance to access to imece‘s local and international consultant and investor network, office support, legal and financial advisory support.

Each of the 3 selected teams will receive 120.000 TL grants after the jury’s evaluations. Full amount of the grant will be given in stages to teams that meet the success criteria for 3 months. The grant will be given without pay-back and share in the social enterprise.

Even if you can not pass the jury evaluation, you have the opportunity to gain many benefits by joining the process. You will be part of an innovative thinking, a solution-focused community with competencies in different fields. You will have the opportunity to improve yourself with the training you take and the events you participate in. Most of all, you will be working for the solution of social issues.

Of course! Our goal as imece is to carry local solutions to the global. That is why, we develop international partnerships and provide access to investor networks. If you want to carry your business model from the local to the global as a team, we are ready to support you.

imece has come to life with our Founding Partners, ATÖLYE and Zorlu Holding together with our Strategic Partner, S360.

ATÖLYE, S360 and Zorlu Holding set out in April 2016 on the question “How can we together find innovative and sustainable solutions to important social problems”. Global examples have been studied; field researches have been done throughout the months with local and international academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, investors, the private sector and public employees, consultants and students. When all the data was merged, “imece” appeared. In November 2016, imece team was established and speeded up working under the roof of the ATÖLYE. In February 2017, we started its implementation.

As a multi-stakeholder structure, we are open to cooperate with all the institutions that share our values. You can email your questions to imece@imece.com with the title of “Cooperation” in order to provide funding, develop partnership and become one of the supporters. We respond within 3 business days!

You can be informed by following our social media accounts and being a member of an e-bulletin.

Then you can send your questions to imece@imece.com with the title “Information”. We respond within 3 business days!