‘Yedir’ is at Bilişim Vadisi

The mobile application called ‘Yedir’, developed by siblings Esra-Melis Sarıhan, graduates of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaya Oğuz, which brings home cooks and food lovers together, has been accepted to Bilişim Vadisi (Technology Development Zone) in Izmir. Entrepreneurs from Izmir, who have competed against many projects across the region with ‘Yedir’, will be able to establish companies, work to develop their R&D potential, and participate in training and development programs free of charge, thanks to their admission to the Bilişim Vadisi. Entrepreneurs from IUE will be able to easily communicate with partners abroad as well as in Turkey, and will have the opportunity to go global with their exemplary projects.

The application called ‘Yedir’, brought to life by Esra Sarıhan, graduate of IUE Department of Industrial Systems Engineering, Melis Sarıhan, graduate of IUE Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaya Oğuz, Head of IUE Department of Computer Engineering, can be used over the internet or by downloading it to a smart phone. Those, who become members of ‘Yedir’ for free, will be able to order delicious home-cooked meals and request the food they desire to be prepared. Home cooks, who want to earn income by selling the meals they prepare at their own kitchen, will also be able to meet with consumers with ‘one click’ by registering with Yedir.

AT THE FINAL STAGE

Yedir, which has completed all its trials and collected the latest records through the www.yedir.app website and application, will be available at the end of this year. Aiming to popularize the concept of ‘home cooking’ and develop healthy eating habits in Turkey, Yedir's software was developed by Assoc Prof. Dr. Kaya Oğuz. This software is also protected by being registered as ‘software copyright’ at the General Directorate of Copyrights under the entitlement of IUE. Yedir, which is expected to attract great attention in a short time, has been accepted to Bilişim Vadisi and showed its difference, making a name among Turkey's exemplary applications.

WIDESPREAD BUSINESS MODEL IN USA

Stating that they have high expectations of Yedir app, Esra-Melis Sarıhan said, “Home cooking is a common business model in the United States and many countries. We took action with the thought that this model could expand in Turkey as well. Through Yedir, users will be able to order classic home-cooked meals as well as local recipes based on traditional recipes that they cannot find in every restaurant. Yedir will also enable the revival of the local culinary culture and the introduction of the dishes belonging to the cultures that lived in our geography but have been forgotten over time. The number of people, especially after the pandemic, who want to earn income by selling the food they cook at home with the profiles they created on social media, is increasing day by day. Yedir will offer solutions to home cooks on issues such as reaching the target audience and supplying logistics packaging products. Consumers can also place their orders with confidence.”

EVERYTHING IS CONSIDERED

Esra-Melis Sarıhan sisters continued as follows: “With the Yedir application, people who have not actively participated in the economy before will be able to participate in the economy. Our primary target audience is gastronomy students and housewives. In addition to these, Yedir can also be considered as an exemplary 'influence initiative' in terms of enabling the disadvantaged people to participate in the active economy. Yedir aims to contribute to the prevention of waste of food by focusing on individual production. The orders placed will be distributed via low carbon emission vehicles. We intend to focus on bicycle couriers in the neighborhood-based distribution network. Consumers will be able to access information about which products are used while cooking, and they will also be able to see the calorie calculation of the meals. Information such as the suitability of the meals for vegans and whether they contain gluten will also be included in the application. Warnings about allergens in meals will be shared with users on the system.”

THERE ARE 3 MAIN STAGES

Drawing attention to the importance of being in the Bilişim Vadisi, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaya Oğuz, Head of IUE Department of Computer Engineering, said, “Bilişim Vadisi supports entrepreneurs with various investment funds, laying the groundwork for them to contribute to our country. Applications are pre-evaluated by the experts of Bilişim Vadisi Ecosystem Development Office. In the second stage, a detailed application is requested from the initiatives that successfully pass the preliminary evaluation. In the third stage, the final evaluation process is carried out by the Technology Advisory Commission. As a result, startups that have been approved by the commission start to operate in Bilişim Vadisi after the approval of the Board of Directors of Bilişim Vadisi. We successfully passed all these stages with Yedir and got accepted to the Bilişim Vadisi.”

EMPHASIS ON COLLABORATION

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oğuz continued as follows: “We will be able to easily access special trainings according to technology readiness levels, financial and legal consultancy, patent consultancy support, R&D exemption support and technical mentorship opportunities. Another of the most important works of the Business Incubation Center is the ‘Accelerator and Demoday Programs’. Within the scope of this program, entrepreneurs who want to be included in the Bilişim Vadisi entrepreneurship ecosystem have the opportunity to cooperate with other partner companies. Stakeholders and initiatives that come together during the Mobility Accelerator Program build strong relationships with each other and can work together on potential projects in the long run.”