The GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit, organized in cooperation with the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK)/Türkiye–U.S. Business Council (TAİK) and Endeavor Türkiye, was held in Istanbul on 10–12 November 2025. Bringing together more than 1,000 participants, global investors, and tech entrepreneurs, the Summit featured high-level addresses and thematic panels that explored new avenues for technology investment, global expansion, and venture capital integration.
The opening session was attended by Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, DEİK President Nail Olpak, TAİK Chairman Murat Özyeğin, Endeavor Türkiye President Emre Kurttepeli, and TAİK Digital Task Force Leader & Insider CEO Hande Çilingir.
Demonstrating its strong international reach, the event brought together more than 150 top-tier VCs and LPs, 40+ corporate LPs, 40+ family offices, 7 institutional and sovereign wealth funds, alongside executives representing over 11 tech titans. World-renowned venture capital funds including Khosla Ventures, General Atlantic, Princeville Capital, and Golden Gate Ventures took part in the event, alongside senior executives from global tech giants such as Google, DeepMind, and Uber, as well as Türkiye’s leading family offices and investment funds.
Now in its second year, the GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit stood out with its entrepreneur-investor precision-matching model. Serving as a concrete demonstration of Türkiye’s entrepreneurship vision, the Summit united global technology capital in Istanbul to strengthen investment opportunities, increase the number of global-scale Turkish tech ventures and Turcorns, and shape the innovation roadmap of both Türkiye and the wider region.
In his address, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır underscored Türkiye’s technology-driven growth strategy and called on global funds to capitalize on the country’s dynamic startup ecosystem, saying, “I invite you to grow in Türkiye and to collaborate with Turkish entrepreneurs. My team and I stand ready to support you at every step.” Highlighting that total capital invested in Turkish technology ventures reached USD 5.3 billion between 2020 and 2024—a 12-fold increase compared to the previous five-year period—Minister Kacır emphasized that Türkiye expanded its ecosystem from zero unicorns prior to 2019 to seven Turcorns today. He underlined key national initiatives such as TEKNOFEST, DENEYAP, “Kampüste Sektör,” Terminal Istanbul, Turcorn100, and the Tech Visa Program aimed at positioning Türkiye as an international hub for tech investments.
DEİK President Nail Olpak reaffirmed DEİK’s strong commitment to digital transformation and commercial diplomacy, noting that several of DEİK’s 153 Business Councils are directly dedicated to Digital Technologies. He emphasized that in a global economy facing supply chain disruptions, high tariffs, and sluggish growth, innovation and digital ecosystems remain the primary catalysts for sustainable economic expansion.
TAİK Chairman Murat Özyeğin stated that Türkiye has evolved into a proven destination for global capital seeking local innovation, citing landmark international investments in venture success stories such as Insider, Trendyol Go, Midas, TOM Bank, and DGPay.
TAİK Digital Task Force Leader & Insider CEO Hande Çilingir pointed out that global investment entities representing USD 500 billion in managed assets participated in the Summit, underlining that the initiative aims to convert strategic matching into long-term capital flows.
Endeavor Türkiye President Emre Kurttepeli stressed the strategic importance of scaling domestic tech ventures into international markets, noting that Turkish startups secured USD 416 million in investment over the past year and emphasizing Endeavor’s commitment to driving global founder ambition.
Following the opening addresses, the Summit continued with sector-based panel sessions, strategic workshops, and targeted B2B investor–entrepreneur meetings.
Global Tech and Venture Ecosystem Supported GO! GLOBAL 2025
Sponsored by Akbank, Turkish Airlines, Finberg, Türk Telekom Ventures, Deel, Doğuş Hospitality & Retail, Hepsiburada, İGA, Balcıoğlu Selçuk Eğmirioğlu Ardıyok Keki, Core Finans, and Wask, the GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit 2025 concluded following high-level networking sessions and bilateral investment meetings designed to advance Türkiye’s position in the global innovation economy.
The inaugural GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit, organized by Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK)/Türkiye–U.S. Business Council (TAİK) and Endeavor Türkiye, was held in Istanbul on 23–25 October 2024. Bringing together over 400 participants, including 40 visionary Turkish tech entrepreneurs and senior representatives from more than 20 leading global investment funds, the Summit featured high-level addresses and thematic panels aimed at establishing direct investment channels between international venture capital and Türkiye’s technology ecosystem.
The opening session was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Zekeriya Coştu, DEİK/TAİK Chairman Murat Özyeğin, and Chair of the TAİK Digital Working Group & Co-Founder and CEO of Insider Hande Çilingir. International participation featured prominent global investment entities and venture capital firms, including Peak XV, Riverwood, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), General Atlantic, QED, ALJ, Portage, and Pact.
Designed as a strategic platform to connect local ventures with global venture capital and private equity firms, the GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit served as a concrete demonstration of TAİK’s mission to increase the number of "Turcorns" and enhance the international competitiveness of Turkish technology companies, building a durable bridge between Turkish innovation and global capital.
In his address, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Zekeriya Coştu highlighted Türkiye’s industrial and technological capabilities, noting that R&D funding increased more than tenfold over the past two decades, with over 100 technology development zones housing more than 10,000 technology enterprises nationwide. Pointing to global leadership in defense, fintech, and gaming, Deputy Minister Coştu stated, “Rest assured, government authorities will be your strongest supporters on this journey, acting as icebreakers and partners.” He emphasized that the government allocated USD 250 million in venture capital funding and mobilized a total of USD 2 billion, while the state-backed BiGG Program has served as the nation’s primary pre-seed investor, helping establish 2,400 tech startups.
TAİK Chairman Murat Özyeğin emphasized Türkiye’s strategic position as a rising startup hub bridging East and West. Pointing to successful scale-ups and unicorns such as Peak Games, Getir, Trendyol, Dream Games, Hepsiburada, and Insider, Özyeğin underlined that a comprehensive infrastructure consisting of incubation centers, accelerators, co-working spaces, and state-backed networking programs has been established to foster long-term entrepreneurial growth.
TAİK Digital Working Group Chair & Insider CEO Hande Çilingir stressed the objective of establishing the Summit as a recurring institutional tradition to prepare next-generation Turkish software and tech ventures for global competition, noting Insider's trajectory as a global top-five software product created outside Silicon Valley.
Prominent members supporting the GO! GLOBAL and TAİK Digital Working Group included Insider, Finberg, Formus Capital, Colendi, Wellbees, Figopara, Endeavor Türkiye, ScaleX, and 500 Emerging Europe. Throughout the three-day event, panels focused on key industry themes, including artificial intelligence, regional potential, early-stage investing, scaling globally, and late-stage capital allocation.
International Investors Supported Inaugural GO! GLOBAL 2024
Sponsored by Türk Telekom, Finberg, Hepsiburada, Doğuş, and Formus Capital, the GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit 2024 concluded following bilateral investor-entrepreneur networking sessions and strategic discussions designed to position Türkiye as an international technology hub.