In the realm of wholesale trade, options are expanding thanks to technology entrepreneurs. Topi, an innovative venture in the digital wholesale shopping sector, achieved significant success in its pre-seed financing round.

Founded by well-known names in the e-commerce sector such as Sedat Yıldırım and Köksal Yılmaz, the startup secured its first investment with a valuation of $2.5 million from investor Ahmet Bilgen, a prominent figure in entrepreneurship and fintech. Topi aims to utilize the funding to prepare for seed round by implementing rapid growth strategies.

Pioneering digitalization in the wholesale shopping market, Topi Technology Inc. aims to enhance the competitive edge and sales prowess of traditional retail through its developed platform.

A venture established in 2022, Topi optimizes order and product flow between wholesalers and traditional retail outlets.

Co-founders Yıldırım and Yılmaz initiated the venture in 2022, leveraging their experience in e-commerce and technology to improve inefficient business processes between wholesalers and retailers in the retail sector.

Notably, Topi emerges as the first venture following Yıldırım's departure from Istegelsin, an online supermarket service, as its founding CEO.

Utilization in growth financing

Topi plans to utilize the funds from its pre-seed investment to finance its growth during the pre-seed to seed investment phase. Providing access to quality products with flexible payment options for both business owners and users, the startup ensures swift access to a wide range of products, reaching up to 5,000 varieties, at the best prices and enabling monitoring of current wholesale market prices.

With its logistics network handling all deliveries, Topi utilizes its developed distribution optimization software to deliver products from 40 different wholesalers to retail points.

Serving across 81 provinces

Traditional retail outlets shopping from Topi can make payments via credit card, bank transfer, Fibabanka's 30-day interest-free credit or Multinet MultiAvantaj. Currently operational in Ankara, Bolu and Bartın, Topi aims to expand its product range and distribution area progressively to serve across all 81 provinces.

The traditional retail market, exceeding $20 billion annually and constituting 65% of Türkiye’s fast-moving consumer goods market, sustains the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families. Business owners digitizing through Topi's advantageous pricing, secure deliveries and flexible payment options gain strength in competition against chain stores.

AI-backed robots to ensure error-free recycling

In the process of recycling, the flawless management of waste holds paramount importance for the proper and efficient reuse of natural resources. FANUC, a company producing robotic solutions for various industries, has collaborated with the smart waste management startup Recycleye to develop the LR Mate 200 iD/4SC, a 6-axis robot offering artificial intelligence vision technology to the waste management industry.

Able to collect up to 33,000 products from the recycling line with up to 99% accuracy in a 10-hour shift, LR Mate 200 iD/4SC demonstrates an increase of up to 12% in sorting efficiency and up to 10% improvement in line output.

As pollution caused by waste remains one of today's most serious environmental issues, the necessity of recycling grows with each passing day. In areas where human resources fall short in recycling millions of tons of waste annually, the presence of robots capable of autonomously performing this task expedites the process to achieve faster and error-free results.

Through a collaboration with Recycleye Robotics, a smart waste management startup, FANUC, a leading provider of numerical control systems in global markets, has introduced a new breath to waste management with the LR Mate 200 iD/4SC, a 6-axis robot developed as a result of their partnership. The robotic waste collection system, where FANUC's over 60 years of automation expertise meets Recycleye Robotics' artificial intelligence support, automatically separates recyclable materials into different material classes such as plastic, aluminum, paper and cardboard with near perfection.

New generation in recycling

Teoman Alper Yiğit, general manager of FANUC Türkiye, highlights the inadequacy of traditional sorting methods in meeting expectations in terms of quality and quantity in today's world.

"Recycleye Robotics uses artificial intelligence-supported computer vision to identify each item in complex waste streams. The FANUC LR Mate 200 iD/4SC robot at the heart of the system then automatically sorts these recyclable materials into different material classes such as plastic, aluminum, paper and cardboard. This system, which is the most accurate and efficient artificial intelligence-powered robotic collection solution available worldwide today, can collect up to 33,000 products per robot in a 10-hour shift, operating 24/7," said Yiğit.

"The compact, short-arm, mini robot LR Mate 200 iD/4SC, which is easy to integrate into narrow spaces, and the artificial intelligence vision technology integrated by Recycleye Robotics accelerate the business process. In addition, the advanced sensors of the robot eliminate wasted movement and can return to the same millimeter point even after working 24/7 for eight years."

Vacant positions in sector

Yiğit emphasized another significant benefit of the artificial intelligence technology developed by Recycleye for recycling facilities and also highlighted expectations that there 89,000 vacant positions in the recycling sector in the next four years.

"A recent report by the CIWM revealed that 60% of respondents struggled to find employees last year, and it is estimated that there will be 89,000 vacant positions in the waste and recycling sector by 2028," said.

"The LR Mate 200 iD/4SC robot makes precise collections like an employee, with a superior vision system as sensitive as the human eye. Most importantly, the robots do not take breaks, slow down, get tired or quit, eliminating interruptions in the process. This is crucial because finding employees for waste collection can be very challenging. Additionally, the robot's ability to easily handle hazardous materials that could otherwise injure workers in recycling facilities is one of its greatest advantages."

Türk Telekom presents ‘accessible art’ projects at AKM

One of Türkiye’s leading telecommunications and technology companies, Türk Telekom continues its corporate social responsibility projects that transform technology into goodness and benefit.

Supporting accessible living at Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) through events and applications such as "Talking Paintings Digital Art Exhibition" and "Audio Steps," Türk Telekom offers a different art experience to visually and hearing-impaired art enthusiasts with its "Accessible Theater."

Implemented in collaboration with Istanbul State Theatres within the AKM, the "Accessible Theater" project will continue with the play "Today, Tomorrow" throughout March. Within the scope of the project, live descriptions, stage tours and subtitles are provided in designated State Theatre performances, offering an art experience that transcends barriers.

"Within the framework of our understanding of 'Adding Value to Türkiye,' we are transforming technology into goodness and benefit, and we continue our efforts with activities and applications such as theater and exhibitions to make AKM accessible, of which we are the main supporter," said Arif Sancaktaroğlu, corporate communications director of Türk Telekom.

"With our Accessible Theater project, we offer art enthusiasts an accessible experience with our new play 'Today, Tomorrow,'" Sancaktaroğlu added.

Türk Telekom, realizing its corporate social responsibility activities under the understanding of "Adding Value to Türkiye," strengthens accessibility at the Atatürk Cultural Center by blending technology with culture and art.

Türk Telekom's accessibility project, "Audio Steps," offers visually and hearing-impaired art enthusiasts the opportunity to move around AKM's open and closed areas without needing assistance. Additionally, the company implements various events focused on technology and digital transformation.

Transforming a special selection from the National Palaces Painting Museum Collection into a different art experience with the "Talking Paintings Digital Art Exhibition" at AKM last December, Türk Telekom initiated the "Accessible Theater Project" in collaboration with Istanbul State Theatres General Directorate 2024.

Emphasizing that there are accessible art activities for everyone at AKM with projects such as the "Talking Paintings Digital Art Exhibition" and "Accessible Theater," Sancaktaroğlu said in addition to the sponsorship of the Türk Telekom Opera Salon, which is at the heart of AKM, they aimed to create a space where everyone can participate in cultural and artistic activities.

"We are pleased to make art accessible to everyone by using technology according to the needs of society. With our 'Audio Steps' application implemented at AKM, our visually and hearing-impaired visitors can easily explore all indoor and outdoor areas. With the 'Talking Paintings Digital Art Exhibition' we held last December, we brought together visually impaired citizens with paintings from the National Palaces Painting Museum Collection, allowing them to recognize the paintings through audio descriptions," he noted.

"Now, with this year's 'Accessible Theater' project, we provide visually and hearing-impaired art enthusiasts with an art experience that transcends visual, auditory and physical barriers. We will continue to make the technology we develop with the understanding of 'Adding Value to Türkiye' available to everyone."

Startups awarded for innovation in sports-oriented tech

Backed by top public institutions, the BIGG Sports Awards, where technology meets sports, has found its winners this week at a ceremony attended by the Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak and Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır.

Held at the Youth and Sports Ministry's Camp and Training Center in Riva, the ceremony was also attended by deputy ministers, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) President Hasan Mandal, members of Parliament, national athletes and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kacır expressed his hope that the BIGG Sports Awards would play an accelerating role in bringing innovative ideas to life in the sports community.

67 applications in 7 categories

A total of 67 technological startups applied in seven categories, including augmented and virtual reality applications in sports technologies, artificial intelligence applications in sports, sports-related statistics and big data analysis applications, individual and team tracking-analysis systems, training technologies in sports, localization of imported sports equipment and sensor technology in sports.

The top five winners received a total of approximately TL 5 million ($155,230) in prizes along with the BIGG Sports Cup, with Bak and Kacır presenting the awards to the companies.

Before the event, visitors had the opportunity to experience the products participating in the competition, which were exhibited in the foyer area. Throughout the day, various panels were organized with the participation of expert speakers. The relationship between sports and technology was discussed from different perspectives in sessions titled "Artificial Intelligence in Sports," "Aiming for the Goal in Sports," and "Sports Tourism."