TEDxBCN College Youth

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Adem Bican

  Educationist

  He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Seydişehir district of Konya… In 1993, he began his undergraduate studies in the mathematics department at İnönü University. He has carried out successful activities in many areas of the education sector. He has made a name for himself especially with his work on innovative educational methods and the integration of artificial intelligence into education. He developed his own educational method with the "Tomorrow's Mind" preschool education approach in kindergartens.

• Bedri Usta

  Chef

  His is a story that begins in poverty in the Midyat district of Mardin, then extends to Adana, and finally to Istanbul, the city where the land and soil are said to be made of gold... You will listen, sometimes with laughter and sometimes with tears in your eyes, to how a little boy who left home at the age of seven, sleeping under bridges using his shoes as pillows, clung to life with determination and hope, and how he built his business, which turned into a world-famous brand.

• Beril Esra Atahan

  Psychologist

  Born in Hatay in 1991, she is the eldest child of an Arab-origin family. She graduated from the Guidance and Psychological Counseling (PDR) program at Anadolu University in Eskişehir and studied in Poland through the Erasmus exchange program. After completing her undergraduate education, she moved to Istanbul and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence Psychology at the University of East London. She worked at institutions such as Anadolu Efes and PMI while continuing her education and completed professional training in psychology, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and EMDR therapy. Integrating psychology and technology, she conceptualizes the human mind as a software-like system. She is enrolled in a program focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on mental health and is the founder of an academy connecting Generation Z with brands.

• Berna Acar Kasırga

  İnterior Designer-Youtuber

  Berna Acar Kasırga is an interior architect known for her passion and creativity in the field of interior design. After graduating from the Interior Architecture Department of Bilkent University in 2014, she founded her YouTube channel titled “İç Mimar Berna” to introduce the profession of interior architecture to wider audiences in Turkey. Through this channel, she aims to raise awareness about the profession by sharing the intricacies of interior design, along with creative solutions and practical tips. In 2015, she established her own design studio and began undertaking a variety of projects, including residential, office, café, and retail space designs. By sharing her passion and professional knowledge, Berna Acar Kasırga continues to inspire young interior architects and make the world of interior architecture more accessible.

• Duygu Karaca

  TV Series Producer

  Born on November 20, 1976, in Istanbul, Duygu Karaca proudly identifies as a Scorpio woman. She graduated from Istanbul University’s Faculty of Economics, Department of Econometrics in four years and immediately began her career as a media planner in advertising, where she worked for ten years. She then spent another ten years in ATV’s drama department, serving as department manager for her final three years. After the birth of her second child, she left corporate life but soon returned as a project designer at TMC Film, co-creating Meryem, a TV series that ranked first in daily ratings for 30 episodes. Since 2011, her journey in Nonviolent Communication led her to become an internationally certified trainer. She now offers trainings and empathic coaching while continuing her passion for TV production. Currently, she is developing an eight-episode space comedy for a digital platform under confidentiality. She believes success is a systemic mindset, not a linear career path.

• Erdem Kaynarca

  Actor

  Born in Istanbul on November 17, 1992, Erdem Kaynarca graduated from the Philosophy Department at Middle East Technical University (METU) and then completed his studies in Theatre at Kadir Has University. He entered the industry in 2016 with the film "Emanet" (The Trust) and is known for his roles in the TV series "Kalp Atışı" (Heartbeat), "Yasak Elma" (Forbidden Apple), "Gençliğim Eyvah" (Oh, My Youth!), and "Lefter"; he is also involved in professional sports and theatre.

• Ezgi Terzi Taşkın

  İnfluencer

  She was born on February 7, 1988, in Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş, and grew up as an only child. She completed her education in Soma, Manisa, and graduated from the Biology Department of Anadolu University in Eskişehir. She worked as a biology teacher in private schools for nearly five years. During the pandemic, she left teaching and turned to gastronomy, creating content from home. With her scientific understanding of nature’s cycles, she began exploring Anatolia’s ancient culinary heritage from a new perspective. Her “81 Provinces, 81 Forgotten Recipes” series, completed over two and a half years, brought her wide recognition. Her work focuses on seasonality, local production, and traditional recipes. Heirloom wheat, sourdough, and fermentation are central to her practice. She sees tables as carriers of memory, identity, and culture, aiming to connect the wisdom of the soil with human stories.

• Hakan Hakyemez

  Computer Engineering

  Hakan Hakyemez, who has over 600,000 followers across various platforms, has been working as a Computer Engineer for 12 years. He worked as a software team leader and domain architect at Koç Sistem for 2 years, Garanti Bank for 7 years, and Yapı Kredi Bank for the last 3 years. For the past 2 years, he has also been a software instructor at Acun Medya Academy. He has founded two startups in the fields of artificial intelligence and software. For a period, he provided software services to various companies and institutions through his own software and consulting company. He won a scholarship to the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute in Russia to become one of Türkiye's first atomic engineers. In recent years, he has gained millions of views through social media.

• Serhan Yılmaz

  Storyteller

  Yılmaz began his academic journey with undergraduate degrees in Industrial Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. He completed a Master’s in Public Law at Hacettepe University, earned an MBA in Management from the International MBA Institute in Switzerland, and completed Commercial Law programs at Harvard University. He also received his PhD in Business Administration in early 2021. With nearly 20 years of experience at Turkcell, IBM, SAP, and NTT Data in country and global leadership roles, he joined Google in 2022 and served as Google Cloud Country Channel Leader until February 2026. He then joined Doğuş Group as Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President of Doğuş Teknoloji. He currently serves as a Board Member of Fenerbahçe Sports Club and holds advisory and board roles in several leading foundations and NGOs.

• Sevda Tunçluer

  Basketball Coach

  Sevda Tunçluer continues her work with a perspective shaped by a 26-year journey extending from the competitive world of performance sports to body awareness and sustainable movement. Throughout her professional basketball career, she achieved league, cup, and European championships; through injuries and recovery processes, she learned to listen to and understand her body anew. With her background in fitness training and the education she received from Qiong Academy, she approaches movement not merely as strength production, but as flow, awareness, and continuity. She is also one of the representatives of pickleball, a sport that is rapidly growing worldwide and still new in Turkey. Today, she carries out work that creates space for individuals to build a more conscious, balanced, and sustainable relationship with their bodies.

• Yiğit Portakal

  CEO-Youtuber

  Yiğit Portakal, who doesn't see real estate as merely four walls but as a lifestyle presented through technology and effective storytelling, is the CEO of eXp Realty Turkey, the world's largest cloud-based real estate company. Beginning his career journey with data analytics experience at Deloitte, Portakal synthesized this analytical depth with over 10 years of expertise in the real estate sector, laying the foundation for his own success story under the Portakal Real Estate umbrella. Representing much more than just a real estate consultant in the sector, Portakal has created Turkey's largest real estate YouTube channel, with over 1 million monthly views and nearly 100,000 followers, transforming property sales into an "experience story." Today, with his strategic perspective and media power, Yiğit Portakal is rewriting the rules of the sector; with his innovative business models and global vision, he stands among the pioneering leaders building the future of real estate.