{"id":170887,"date":"2026-08-25T12:03:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/2026\/08\/25\/gitex-ai-turkiye-to-debut-as-eurasias-digital-corridor-between-global-capital-and-turkiyes-ai-startups\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T12:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:06:27","slug":"gitex-ai-turkiye-to-debut-as-eurasias-digital-corridor-between-global-capital-and-turkiyes-ai-startups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/2026\/08\/25\/gitex-ai-turkiye-to-debut-as-eurasias-digital-corridor-between-global-capital-and-turkiyes-ai-startups\/","title":{"rendered":"GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye to debut as Eurasia\u2019s digital corridor between global capital and T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s AI startups"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2018The next global tech companies may be built in T\u00fcrkiye, but designed for the world\u2019 \u2013 Finance Chief at Fark Holding.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global investors seeking the biggest opportunities in Eurasia\u2019s vibrant AI economy should seek sectors that combine engineering talent with industrial depth \u2013 areas in which T\u00fcrkiye excels \u2013 the Finance Chief of one of the country\u2019s largest industrial enterprises said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Erhan Ak, CFO at Fark Holding<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Erhan Ak, CFO at Fark Holding, said industrial AI, fintech, defence tech, mobility, energy tech and enterprise software represent the most compelling opportunities for VCs eager to unearth the region\u2019s next tech unicorn, while partnering with local labs and accelerators will help navigate regulatory checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInternational investors should look beyond consumer applications and focus on sectors where T\u00fcrkiye combines engineering talent with industrial depth,\u201d said Ak, a headline speaker at the inaugural GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye in Istanbul next month, Eurasia\u2019s most global tech and AI investment event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParticularly attractive are startups developing solutions that can scale across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. T\u00fcrkiye is an excellent innovation hub, and the strongest companies will use T\u00fcrkiye as their innovation base while competing globally from day one. The next global technology companies may be built in T\u00fcrkiye but designed for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ak\u2019s comments come as Turkish startup funding surges. In the first quarter of 2026, Turkish startups raised $559 million, more than seven times the same period a year earlier. The nation has so far produced eight tech unicorns, including Trendyol, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s $16.5 billion e-commerce giant, which is among the 300-plus exhibitors at GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye, from 9\u201310 September 2026 at Istanbul Expo Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ak will speak on the \u2018Next growth engines \u2013 emerging industries that could define T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s digital decade\u2019 panel at GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s two-day conference programme. Fark Holding, through its Fark Labs innovation arm has become one of the more active industrial investors in Turkish AI ventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cT\u00fcrkiye\u2019s next success story will be built on AI-powered productivity, industrial innovation and entrepreneurial collaboration,\u201d said Ak, adding that its Fark Labs teams in countries such as USA, Netherlands, Finland and Portugal are helping local startups scale globally. \u201cThe next generation of global champions will emerge where industrial expertise meets entrepreneurial innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye is valuable because it connects capital, talent and industry in one place,\u201d added Ak. \u201cIf these conversations lead to new investments, commercial collaborations and globally scalable companies, the event will have achieved its purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amplifying T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s powerful technopark pipeline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That capital will meet a startup pipeline built by T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s massive technopark ecosystem, many of which will exhibit at GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye when it debuts next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to featuring the world\u2019s tech titans powering the global intelligence economy, the two-day event will also host T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s dominant innovation hubs, including YT\u00dc Y\u0131ld\u0131z Technopark, Medeniyet Technopark, Antalya Teknokent, Giresun Teknopark, ITU ARI Teknokent, Teknopark Ankara and many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YT\u00dc Y\u0131ld\u0131z Technopark, home to 750 companies, more than 14,000 R&D staff, 70 AI-focused companies and 341 active AI projects, will showcase its Starboard AI platform, including a Techno-Scouting module that scores portfolio companies against more than 60 parameters to help investors identify the most investable startups by stage.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Garip, Managing Director of YT\u00dc Y\u0131ld\u0131z Technopark<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe view GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye as a global networking and growth platform for our technology companies,\u201d said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Garip, Managing Director of YT\u00dc Y\u0131ld\u0131z Technopark. \u201cOur Techno-Scouting module scores companies based on over 60 parameters, enabling global investors to quickly identify the most promising start-ups suited to their investment stages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medeniyet Technopark, whose TeknoK\u00f6pr\u00fc Investment Acceleration Programme pairs training with direct investor meetings, has already run delegation programmes to the UK, Qatar, the UAE, Malaysia, Singapore and Morocco to build its startups\u2019 international readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat T\u00fcrkiye needs is not more ventures, but \u2018deeper\u2019 ventures; not ventures that build AI-powered applications, but ventures that directly produce AI models,\u201d said Ali Ramazan Tak, General Manager, Medeniyet Technopark. \u201cGITEX AI T\u00fcrkiye will offer opportunities for our entrepreneurs on their journey from the idea stage to global markets, helping them meet international investors, establish cross-border business partnerships, and expand their export channels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ali Ramazan Tak, General Manager, Medeniyet Technopark<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Antalya Teknokent said GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s value lies in concentration. \u201cFor T\u00fcrkiye to produce more globally competitive tech companies, it is essential to expand joint accelerator programs, strengthen connections with international investment networks, and facilitate foreign investors’ access to the ecosystem,\u201d said Dr. \u0130brahim Yavuz, General Manager of Antalya Teknokent. \u201cGITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s greatest contribution is bringing our startups together with international investors, large-scale corporations, public institutions and technology leaders on a single platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dr. \u0130brahim Yavuz, General Manager of Antalya Teknokent<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Giresun Teknopark, representing the Black Sea region\u2019s growing digital ecosystem, framed its role as expanding access beyond T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s largest cities. \u201cAs Giresun Teknopark, we act as an accelerator that transforms local talent and potential into global value,\u201d said Asst. Prof. Dr. Muhammet An\u0131l Kaya, General Manager of Giresun Teknopark. \u201cGITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye allows our startups to scale their digital services globally, providing direct access to international markets, investors, and strategic partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shared AI vision backed by investors with US$50 billion AUM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across both sides of the table, a common theme emerges, where AI\u2019s great Eurasian opportunity lies not in standalone AI products, but in applying AI to sectors where the region already has industrial strength. \u201cAI will not replace industries, it will redefine them,\u201d concluded Ak, echoed by Prof. Garip, who added: \u201cAI is no longer merely a supporting tool but a foundational technology reshaping business models.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye 2026 will bring that alignment to life when 100-plus investors from 20 nations, managing US$50 billion in assets, meet T\u00fcrkiye’s technopark-incubated startups to propel the next wave of Turkish-built, globally scaled AI champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among these is Erdem Dereli, Venture Partner at Gobi Partners, a Malaysian VC firm that manages US$2 billion in assets. Dereli said T\u00fcrkiye boasts a highly mature engineering and product development culture: \u201cT\u00fcrkiye stands out for its technical depth and proven track record of producing mega-unicorns, particularly in gaming and e-commerce. The ecosystem is uniquely self-sustaining; early success stories have created a sophisticated second-generation cohort of founders and angel investors who possess the exact operational blueprint needed to scale startups globally from day one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From industrial AI to smart manufacturing: defining Eurasia\u2019s next digital decade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GITEX Ai T\u00fcrkiye is hosted by the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye (Invest in T\u00fcrkiye) in strategic partnership with T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Ministry of Industry and Technology. The flagship debut event is powered by GITEX, the world\u2019s largest tech and AI event network and organised by inD \u2014 the joint venture between Dubai World Trade Centre and Informa that organises GITEX globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech heavyweights spearheading global participation include Google Cloud, HPE & NVIDIA, ASUS, Huawei, Dell Technologies, SAP and TrendAI, alongside regional powerhouses Trendyol and Andevos, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s leading AI and fintech platform. Halkbank, the nation\u2019s state-owned SME banking champion, is also onboard, backing Eurasia\u2019s tech-driven economic transformation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018The next global tech companies may be built in T\u00fcrkiye, but designed for the world\u2019 \u2013 Finance Chief at Fark Holding. Global investors seeking the biggest opportunities in Eurasia\u2019s vibrant AI economy should seek sectors that combine engineering talent with industrial depth \u2013 areas in which T\u00fcrkiye excels \u2013 the Finance Chief of one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":170888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[158,26537,26538,26539,577,26540,3855,26541,26542,26543,26544,26545,26478,26546,407,3859,121,26547,26548,26549,26550,26551,7158,615,1494,25923,26552,21391,18321,26553],"class_list":["post-170887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-more-news","tag-ai","tag-ali-ramazan-tak","tag-andevos","tag-antalya-teknokent","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-asus","tag-dell-technologies","tag-erdem-dereli","tag-erhan-ak","tag-fark-holding","tag-fark-labs","tag-giresun-teknopark","tag-gitex-ai-turkiye","tag-gobi-partners","tag-google-cloud","tag-hpe","tag-huawei","tag-ibrahim-yavuz","tag-invest-in-turkiye","tag-medeniyet-technopark","tag-muhammet-anil-kaya","tag-muhammet-garip","tag-nvidia","tag-sap","tag-startups","tag-trendai","tag-trendyol","tag-turkiye","tag-venture-capital","tag-ytu-yildiz-technopark"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170887"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170895,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170887\/revisions\/170895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}