Turkish tech, startup ecosystem showcased at Web Summit in Portugal

By Emirhan Yilmaz and Emir Yildirim

ISTANBUL (AA) — Türkiye is showcasing its growing tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem under a pavilion at one of Europe’s largest tech and startup events, Web Summit 2025, held through Thursday in Lisbon, Portugal.

The pavilion was organized through a collaboration between Türkiye’s Investment and Finance Office and the Industry and Technology Ministry, according to a statement by the office.

The event is expected to welcome over 70,000 visitors this year, including representatives from public institutions, tech firms, and venture capital funds.

Seven Turkish startups will present their products and services across software, finance, fintech, travel, sustainability, clean energy, security, and fitness to global investors and tech leaders.

Participating startups include Apollo, Catchpad, Craftgate, Goldframer, Octoxlabs, Palgae, and Pricing Coach.

Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, the head of Türkiye’s Investment and Finance Office, said in a statement that Turkish startups received a total of $660 million in 927 investment rounds in 2010–2019 and that in 2020–2025, this figure ballooned to $5.6 billion over 2,117 investment rounds.

“The average annual investment of $1 billion clearly shows that Türkiye’s entrepreneur ecosystem matured and it is under the radar of global investors,” he said. “We believe many Turkish countries will exceed a billion-dollar valuation and become Turcorns (Turkish unicorns), thanks to our quickly adapting young population, competent developer pool, strong testing environment, and rising investment trends.”

The investment office participates in global events to support Türkiye’s tech and innovation growth strategy for 2024–2028.

Events on its agenda include the web summit plus VivaTech, Slush, London Tech Week, The Next Web, World Knowledge Forum, Future Investment Initiative, Money 20/20, Singapore FinTech Festival, and GITEX Global.

At GITEX Global, the office and the ministry signed an agreement with the Dubai World Trade Center and KAOUN International to hold the GITEX Ai Türkiye event in Istanbul in September 2026.