Among 160 projects, the project named 'Finance Z Young Mentor' won the first place

The final of the 'Ideathon Idea Competition', organized by Kuveyt Türk for the 4th time this year and in which universities from all over Türkiye participated with their projects, was held. Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Software Engineering 3rd year student Yener Can Taş participated in the competition with her team named 'Genç-Z'. Taş and his team won the first place with the project named 'Finance Z Young Mentor'.

Üsküdar University student Yener Can Taş and his team won the first place with their project titled 'Finance Z Young Mentor' at the Ideathon Bootcamp, which was organized for university students at the Lonca Entrepreneurship Center and continued for 36 hours for two days.

Our biggest goal was to increase the financial literacy of young people...

Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Software Engineering 3rd year student Yener Can Taş drew attention to what they aimed with their projects. Taş said that "Within the scope of the project, our biggest goal was to increase the financial literacy of young people by creating personalized fictions supported by artificial intelligence. For this reason, we preferred to use the gamification technique, which includes dynamic reward systems and personalized fictions. This strategy was the right choice for us, as our research indicates that young people grow up with a culture of instant gratification and reward."

"It leads us to follow what is current in our field"

Mentioning that they aim to build a cycle in which both the bank and the young people will achieve a win-win, Yener Can Taş said that "This project was something we came up with from scratch. Firstly, we examined both domestic and international innovative things made on the Internet. We have embarked on a comprehensive analysis and research process to understand the current situation in financial technologies and the needs in the industry. At this stage, we evaluated factors such as market needs, competitor solutions, and target audience analysis. In this context, we examined research reports. It was important for us that it was compatible in terms of target audience and market fit. We wanted to build a win-win cycle for both the bank and the young people. Here, it is very important to chase networking and such competitions and events because in general, it leads us to follow the current in our field."

8 teams from 160 projects made it to the finals

Pointing out that standing out among competent competitors requires having the discipline to work continuously, Taş said that "Innovative things were required from us. It was important to capture authenticity here, and we insisted on it. The teams in the competition were challenging and competent in their fields. Racing with them was both beautiful and challenging. It was also decisive to have the discipline to work continuously without complacency while struggling with these teams. 8 teams from 160 projects made it to the finals. Then, during the final stage, we carried out intensive work and cooperation during the 36-hour camp we entered at the Lonca Entrepreneurship Center. This was an interactive, lively, and challenging training. In these trainings, innovation, storytelling, and presentation techniques were explained. We worked with very valuable mentors. In addition to these, we continue to communicate with the bank with our 'FinansZ' project after the competition. In the process of transforming the idea into a business model, we will be in meetings as a team. I think that SAAS will become increasingly important in the future and will be one of the dominant business models. When I look at the near future, I will be working on artificial intelligence supported SAAS projects where we focus on micro problems in different business areas."

"We have to take a lot of responsibility and get out of our comfort zone"

Pointing out that it is very valuable to actively use the university education period socially, Taş expressed that "Shaping our environment correctly is of great importance in this context. I participate in many events and workshops organized both within and outside our university, and I undertake their organizations when appropriate. These had a significant impact on the competition. Being active is critical for discovering the areas we are passionate about, being in contact with competent names in these fields, developing our soft skills, expanding our network, and building our personal brand. We need to take a lot of responsibility and get out of our comfort zone. We have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do. We must learn from our own mistakes and the mistakes of others and continue to work by always increasing our efficiency. In addition to these, there are very important values that our university adds to us with its own culture. We must both take these values and add our own unique perspective to this culture to convey our own unique perspective to our friends after us. I recommend that people who want to start their own business and venture follow such competitions because such competitions also contribute greatly to personal development."

News: Ayşenur Özdemir- Sevin Korkut

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)