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Zone

Where ideas become ventures.

Around 360 m² of space at SEV American College, built for one thing: helping students turn ideas into value — for their school, their community and beyond.

Why we exist

What we work towards.

  1. Spread an entrepreneurial culture across Türkiye.
  2. Introduce students to the entrepreneurship ecosystem from high school onward.
  3. Raise awareness of entrepreneurship among students, parents and educators.
  4. Inspire and encourage young people to take part in innovation.
  5. Develop products with real added value.
  6. Collaborate with universities, incubators and entrepreneurship centres.
  7. Connect young founders with investors, so projects can turn into investment.
How it works

Idea → Impact.

Every project at X-Zone moves through four stops. Each one builds an entrepreneurial skill, uses a proven method and has a place in the space.

  1. 01

    Spot

    Find a real problem worth solving — start from the people who have it.

    Skill
    Ideas & opportunities
    Method
    Design thinking: empathise, define, ideate
    Where
    IdeaLab
  2. 02

    Build

    Make the smallest first version — in code, cardboard or hardware.

    Skill
    Resources
    Method
    Prototype · Build – Measure – Learn
    Where
    HangarDesign & Coding Studio
  3. 03

    Test

    Put it in front of real people, measure what happens and learn.

    Skill
    Into action
    Method
    Measure & learn · Business Model Canvas
    Where
    XCafe
  4. 04

    Pitch

    Present it to a jury and investors — then keep going.

    Skill
    Into action
    Method
    Pitch & jury Q&A
    Where
    Hangar · events
Innovation today

Building with AI — responsibly.

  1. A tool, not the idea.

    Teams use AI to prototype faster — code, design and research — while the problem and the people stay at the centre.

  2. Think critically.

    Check sources, question outputs and understand the limits and biases of the tools.

  3. Use it ethically.

    Privacy, safety and honesty come first — in the spirit of our student-led Digital Citizenship Ambassadors.

Digital Citizenship Ambassadors
The framework behind it

Turning ideas into value.

“Entrepreneurship is when you act upon opportunities and ideas and transform them into value for others. The value can be financial, cultural, or social.”

— EntreComp, European Commission

Seen this way, entrepreneurship is a competence for life that can be learned and practised — not only starting a company. The European Commission’s EntreComp framework groups it into three areas. Each one is practised along the four stops above.

  1. 01

    Ideas & opportunities

    Spotting opportunities, thinking creatively, building a vision, valuing ideas and thinking ethically and sustainably.

    At X-Zone: IdeaLab

  2. 02

    Resources

    Self-awareness and motivation, mobilising people and materials, and the financial literacy to turn a plan into something real.

    At X-Zone: Hangar · XDeCo

  3. 03

    Into action

    Taking the initiative, planning, coping with uncertainty and risk, working with others and learning through experience.

    At X-Zone: XCafe · Student Board · DIS@SAC

Sources
  • Bacigalupo, M., Kampylis, P., Punie, Y. & Van den Brande, G. (2016). EntreComp: The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework. European Commission, Joint Research Centre.
  • Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school). An Introduction to Design Thinking: Process Guide.
  • Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup. Crown Business.
  • Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation. Wiley.

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