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Start in Istanbul

Istanbul has officially consolidated its dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem into a single digital destination. Designed to make the city a global magnet for investors and entrepreneurs, the startin.istanbul platform was introduced to the public at a landmark launch event held at Just Work, &Uuml;mraniye.
Developed by the Istanbul Development Agency (İSTKA), the platform serves as the city&rsquo;s official English-language gateway, providing a comprehensive and real-time map of the actors driving Istanbul&rsquo;s tech revolution.
<h3 data-path-to-node="9">A Unified Vision: 330+ Actors in One Hub</h3>
The launch marks a turning point for the city&rsquo;s visibility on the global stage. By gathering fragmented data into one structured ecosystem, the platform simplifies the journey for international stakeholders looking to navigate Istanbul&rsquo;s tech landscape.
During his opening keynote, Dr. Ziya Taşkent, Board Member and Secretary General of İSTKA, emphasized the platform&rsquo;s inclusive nature:
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"We have successfully unified over 330 ecosystem actors across 11 distinct categories&mdash;including VCs, incubation centers, and technoparks&mdash;under the Start in Istanbul umbrella. This number continues to grow as our stakeholders join this collective digital movement."
</blockquote>
<h3 data-path-to-node="13">Istanbul Leads the Region: 2025 Ecosystem Report</h3>
A core highlight of the event was the release of &ldquo;The State of Istanbul Startup Ecosystem 2025,&rdquo; produced in collaboration with startups.watch. The data presented by founder Serkan &Uuml;nsal confirmed Istanbul&rsquo;s status as a regional powerhouse, outperforming all countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in key metrics:
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7 Unicorns spearheading the ecosystem.
</li>
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18 Technoparks and 58 Universities fueling R&amp;D.
</li>
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101 Acceleration Programs and 55 Incubation Centers supporting growth.
</li>
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16 Angel Investor Networks and 19 Venture Capital Funds providing liquidity.
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</ul>
<h3 data-path-to-node="16">Bridging Innovation and Global Capital</h3>
Following a platform demonstration by Serkan Korkmaz Arslan, İSTKA Entrepreneurship and Investment Support Office Coordinator,&nbsp;the event hosted two strategic panels. Industry leaders including Arın &Ouml;zkula, Haluk Zontul, Aslı Kurul T&uuml;rkmen, and Mehru &Ouml;zt&uuml;rk discussed the city's trajectory, highlighting that with the launch of startin.istanbul, the city now has the digital infrastructure to match its physical innovation capacity.
The event concluded with a reaffirmation of the city's core mission: To ensure that entrepreneurs can Start, Grow, and Go Global from Istanbul.
Ready to explore the ecosystem? Browse our&nbsp;<a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://startin.istanbul/actors" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiP0NaYxvSTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQggI">Actors section </a>or download the full State of Istanbul Startup Ecosystem 2025 report in our <a class="ng-star-inserted" href="https://startin.istanbul/resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiP0NaYxvSTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ2QE">Resources section</a>.