A software developer works at a gaming software company in the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 10, 2024. From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
ANKARA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship.
Based inside the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in the capital city of Ankara, founders of two gaming software companies expressed optimism about the future of Turkish startups, citing state incentives as a driving force.
"Türkiye has a dynamic young population and many startups are created by them. A sole computer is sufficient to create a company," Firat Ercis, CEO of Software Kingdom, told Xinhua, emphasizing that Turkish software producers are eager to find more funding and market on the global stage.
Since the start of 2024, the Turkish government has started a financing mechanism to maximize the impact of public investments on the startup ecosystem.
Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir recently said his country is trying to step up its self-dependence on technology in the face of monopolization by global conglomerates.
Kacir noted that from 2020 to 2023, local tech startups received 4 billion U.S. dollars in investments, which accelerated the course of the emergence of Turkish unicorns, referring to startup companies with a value of more than 1 billion dollars, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.
"We will make sure that 100,000 technology startups are born in Türkiye and 100 of them will exceed 1 billion in value to become unicorns by 2030," Kacir said. As of today, Türkiye counts seven unicorns.
Ercis said the startup companies welcomed the government's push in the area, adding that the governmental financial aid, largely focused on research and development, helps ensure that companies do not falter at inception, Ercis stressed.
Umut Efiloglu, co-founder of Gamegine, another startup in the tech park, emphasized the importance of skilled programmers and designers in achieving global success.
"Turkish software designers are on a world standard. The presence of highly skilled programmers and designers is essential for a company that wants to enter the global market, and that is why so many (Turkish) unicorns appeared in recent years," he said.
However, Ercis from the Software Kingdom, expressed concern about the possible "brain drain" as the ailing economy in Türkiye will force many young IT engineers to seek jobs abroad.
Serkan Unsal, an Istanbul-based tech writer, said that while Türkiye ranks 15th in the world and 7th in Europe in fintech investments in the first five months of 2024, the country can move up on the list if given the right impetus.
"If we see another mega investment, there is a high probability that we will finish 2024 in 4th place in Europe," he pointed out. ■
Software developers work at a gaming software company in the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 10, 2024. From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
A software developer works at a gaming software company in the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 10, 2024. From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
A software developer works at a gaming software company in the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 10, 2024. From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
A software developer works at a gaming software company in the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 10, 2024. From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
Software developers work at a gaming software company in the technopark of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 10, 2024. From gaming to fintech innovators, Türkiye's startups thrived in recent years in a fast-developing investment ecosystem, bolstering the nation's ambition to become a hub of entrepreneurship. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
