Ecosystem Deep Dive #24: Turkey - Startup Silk Roads
A historical crossroads between east and west, Turkey's start-ups are honoring their ancestors' desire for commercial expansion.
Crossroads
Turkey’s ambiguous geographical positioning, at the confluence of Europe and Asia, often leaves the country’s start-up ecosystem out of many tech publications mandated to cover strictly defined regions such as “MENA” or “Africa”.
However, Turkey’s population of 83 million, its 82% internet penetration, combined with one of the largest tech talent pools in Europe makes the country an auspicious playground for innovative tech start-ups.
The Turkish start-up ecosystem isn’t nascent anymore. Indeed, the late 90’s saw the first wave of Turkish tech entrepreneurs thrive which, in turn, planted the seeds for the ecosystem’s further growth.