The winners of bizz@kampüs, an annual marketing strategy competition where university students develop ideas for a different Ülker brand each year, have been announced. This year, 1,108 teams competed with projects focused on Ülker Caramio. The top three teams were awarded a total of TRY 240,000 and long-term internship opportunities.
In its 14th edition, the competition was open to third- and fourth-year undergraduate as well as graduate students, who participated in teams of two or three. The focus this year was on creating innovative marketing strategies for Ülker Caramio.
Teams from 117 universities and 131 academic departments across Türkiye submitted entries. The winning team, “Caramel Department,” comprised Erdem Eren Coşkun (Business Administration) and Alperen Davran (Computer Engineering) from Sabancı University. “ShockPops,” founded by Boğaziçi University Industrial Engineering students Barış Emre İşık and Hüseyin Kızıltaş, came in second. The third-place team, “Harmoni,” included Neva Kızak (Political Science and Public Administration) and Şevval Şahin (Mathematics) from Middle East Technical University.
The first-place team received TRY 90,000, the second TRY 80,000, and the third TRY 70,000. All three winning teams also earned long-term internship opportunities.
Final Event Held at Çamlıca Campus
The final event took place on May 16 at Yıldız Holding’s Çamlıca Campus, with Ülker executives joining the students in celebrating their success. Ülker CEO Özgür Kölükfakı presented the award to the winning team, while Faruk Gözleveli, Ülker’s Vice President of Human Resources, and Mustafa Kabakçı, Ülker CMO, presented awards to the second- and third-place teams, respectively.
Brand Teams Provided Ongoing Support
Interest in bizz@kampüs grew by 10% this year, as students passionate about marketing and eager to gain hands-on experience took part in the competition. Launched on February 14 with 1,108 teams, the competition included a multi-phase process. Teams that passed the initial screening received in-depth information about Ülker Caramio from the brand team.
The case studies were shared in two stages. After reviewing the first-round submissions, the brand team selected the top 50 teams. These teams were then given a second case study. On April 9, Ülker’s Brand and Finance teams held a webinar titled “Brand Story & P&L Training” for these semi-finalists. Later, on April 28, the top 10 teams participated in a “Presentation Techniques Training” session.
Throughout the competition, teams were assigned mentors from the marketing and human resources departments, who provided guidance during the project development and presentation stages.
“Trust, Passion, Collaboration and Dedication Lead to Success”
Ülker CEO Özgür Kölükfakı emphasized that there are no losers in this competition and shared the following remarks:
“At Ülker, we take great pride in seeing the passion young people have for creativity and initiatives like bizz@kampüs. Trust, passion, collaboration, and dedication inevitably lead to success. We truly believe in the imagination, effort, and passion of our youth. Today, we celebrate the students whose ideas stood out among thousands of submissions and once again reminded us of the transformative power of innovation. We wholeheartedly applaud these future creative leaders—not only for generating ideas but for driving them forward to create value.”
“At Ülker, We Believe in the Potential of Young People”
Ülker CMO Mustafa Kabakçı expressed his excitement about being part of the competition and the students' creative energy:
“Each year, witnessing the innovative ideas that young people bring to life in the field of marketing is a great source of inspiration for us. bizz@kampüs is more than just a competition; it's a unique platform where young talents learn to develop solution-oriented strategies, experience team collaboration, and deepen their understanding of marketing before entering the professional world. At Ülker, we believe in the potential of young people, and every year this competition reaffirms how impactful they can be when given the opportunity. We view this as a valuable step in their career journey and sincerely congratulate all participants.”
“We’re Already Looking Forward to Next Year’s Competition”
Ülker Vice President of Human Resources Faruk Gözleveli also shared his satisfaction with the high level of student engagement:
“This year, as we held bizz@kampüs for the 14th time, university students from all across Türkiye didn’t just generate ideas—they turned those ideas into tangible projects and gained real professional experience. Participants focused not only on competition but also on learning and creating. The training sessions they received and the guidance from our experienced teams helped them transform their dreams for Ülker Caramio into well-developed projects. We’re already eagerly anticipating next year’s bizz@kampüs competition.”