Ziya Presents Innovative AI Technologies to Minister Ina Brandes and Wins 1st Place at the Innoclub Pitch

Ina Brandes and Mayor Thomas Westphal at the Ziya booth at in2AI. Photo: City of Dortmund by Roland Gorecki

Minister of Culture and Education Ina Brandes as Guest of Honor at the Office of AI Company Ziya!

Last Friday, January 24, 2025, was a special moment for Ziya when Ina Brandes, Minister of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, visited the AI company Ziya. This represented not only a milestone for the AI company from Dortmund but also the result of an exciting and successful collaboration that began at the In2AI fair in September in Dortmund. There, Ziya first connected with Minister Brandes and presented her with the innovative concept that subsequently led to an intensive exchange and ultimately to her visit.

Ina Brandes and Mayor Thomas Westphal at the Ziya booth at in2AI. Photo: City of Dortmund by Roland Gorecki — Ina Brandes and Mayor Thomas Westphal at the Ziya booth at in2AI. Photo: City of Dortmund Roland Gorecki

Insights into Ziya's AI Technologies

During her visit, the Minister received a comprehensive insight into Ziya's advanced AI solutions. Particularly impressive was the presentation of a digital twin of Ina Brandes' LinkedIn voice, which the AI company had created using state-of-the-art AI models and powerful NVIDIA graphics cards. This technology demonstrates how artificial intelligence can be used to create digital identities and personal voice profiles.

Additionally, the Minister and the leadership of Dortmund universities were also presented with the core technologies:

- DatenLabel: An AI pipeline that helps companies efficiently visualize & prepare their data (www.datenlabel.com)

- AI Copilot: An innovative solution to support service and sales teams in call centers.

- Taila: A content AI that enables the generation of authentic and targeted content (www.taila.ai)

Minister Brandes was enthusiastic about the applications and the potential of the AI technologies, which could be of great significance not only for companies but also for the entire economy in North Rhine-Westphalia. The potential of AI to optimize processes and develop new business models was met with great interest. In addition to Minister Brandes, Heike Marzen, Stefan Schreiber, Manfred Bayer, Dirk Stuermer, Ronald Kriedel, Tamara Appel, and Audrey Mehn, representatives of the leadership of Dortmund universities and institutions, as well as Achim Dries, CEO of the VAHLE Group, were present.

Ziya as Dortmund's AI Company Wins First Place at the Innoclub Pitch Competition

Following the presentation, the Ziya team headed straight to the opening of the new Innoclub at the Technologiezentrum Dortmund. The Innoclub offers young startups the opportunity to collaborate with established companies and institutions and drive innovative projects forward.

More about the Innoclub format at:

A highlight of the evening was the pitch competition, in which Ziya prevailed against other startups and took first place. Haris Yalcinkaya, the CEO of Ziya, convinced the seven-member jury of corporate partners and secured a fellowship in the Innoclub as well as a grant of 10,000 euros. This recognition opens up new opportunities for the Dortmund AI company to further develop and expand their AI technologies.

Dortmund as an Emerging AI Hub

The event once again underscores how Dortmund is gaining increasing importance as an innovation hub for technology startups. Thanks to the support of institutions such as the IHK zu Dortmund, TU Dortmund, FH Dortmund, and the Wirtschaftsfoerderung Dortmund, an ideal environment for young companies is being created.

The AI company from Dortmund is happy to be part of this dynamic development and looks forward to continuing to set new standards with their AI solutions. Ziya's goal is to support companies with customized AI technologies to optimize their processes and unlock new digital business models.

Ziya extends heartfelt thanks to Minister Ina Brandes for her visit and the ongoing exchange, to the organizers of the Innoclub for the outstanding event, and to all partners who are strengthening Dortmund as a center for innovation and technology. The coming months promise exciting developments, and Ziya will continue to work at the forefront of AI innovation.