Türkiye's startup ecosystem attracted a total of $64 million across 39 investment rounds in the first quarter of 2026, according to data released by the industry monitor startups.watch.
The standout development of the quarter came from the gaming sector, where Loom Games was acquired by Scopely at a billion-dollar valuation, while artificial intelligence investments also drew attention.
The Loom Games deal raised the number of Türkiye-origin unicorns to seven and once again highlighted the strategic importance of gaming for the country's technology ecosystem.
Artificial intelligence also emerged as one of the most active areas for early-stage investment. Although investment volumes have not yet reached major levels, AI ranked first in terms of the number of investment deals during the quarter.
All AI-related investments were concentrated at the pre-seed and seed stages, indicating the formation of a strong pipeline that is likely to mature in the coming years.
Analysts expect AI's contribution to the ecosystem to increase significantly once these startups advance into Series A and Series B funding rounds.
The gaming sector also maintained its leadership in terms of investment volume. The largest round of the quarter came from TaleMonster Games, which raised $30 million, while Vento Games also secured funding, underlining the continued investor appetite for gaming startups.
The Turkish startup diaspora also had a strong quarter, raising a total of $630 million across 18 funding rounds. The largest portion, $550 million, went to space tech company Sierra Space.
Meanwhile, Kuzu being acquired by Apple stood out as one of the most important exit stories within the diaspora.
In financial technology, or fintech, Paribu acquired Clave, signaling that the slowdown in mergers and acquisitions within the fintech sector seen last year may be reversing.
On the venture capital side, 21 new venture capital investment fund licenses were approved, bringing the number of active funds to 570. This growth suggests that the amount of capital available to the ecosystem is likely to expand over the medium and long term.
Globally, the picture provides both context and motivation for Türkiye. Across Europe, AI startups attracted 62% of total investments, with the United Kingdom reaching $7 billion, France $2.9 billion and Germany $1.9 billion.
With its $64 million funding volume, Türkiye remains in Europe's “second-tier” category. However, the continued emergence of gaming unicorns and the growing pipeline of early-stage AI ventures provide encouraging signals for the future.
Erdem Erkul, founder of Cerebrum Tech, emphasized that artificial intelligence is not just a technology, but a fundamental vision that will transform the industry.
Describing a visit to a “dark factory” in South Korea, Erkul said a massive automotive plant that would normally require 5,000 employees was operating with only 50 staff, while robots handled production entirely.
"In the factory where machines compete, screens placed every 100 meters display the production speed. In other words, the competitors were not humans, but the line itself and the machines. To ensure that the 50 employees monitoring the process on screens did not fall asleep, music was played every minute in the factory," Erkul said.
Emphasizing that the role of humans in the future will be orchestration, he stated that digital infrastructure and human talent must advance simultaneously, asserting that in the future, humankind will not be on the production line, but at the "head of the orchestra" managing the process.
Artificial intelligence is also helping businesses overcome language barriers in e-commerce exports.
With support offered not only in different languages but also in various dialects, many producers are increasing their export opportunities.
Trendyol Sales and Business Development Director Gökhan Kurtuluş emphasized that AI is no longer just a supporting element for e-commerce platforms, but has become the backbone of operations.
Regarding instantaneous localization support through advanced AI technology, Kurtuluş said Trendyol uses AI-based localization systems capable of distinguishing between dialects such as Saudi and Qatari Arabic. Sellers only need to enter product descriptions in Turkish, while the AI system automatically translates the content into the local language of the customer.
"Sellers enter product descriptions into the system only in Turkish. AI instantly translates this data according to the user's country and language. This AI translation system conveys questions asked by customers in their own languages (e.g., Romanian) to the seller in Turkish and translates the seller's Turkish response back into the customer's language, preventing any communication breakdown," he noted.
One of Türkiye's leading telecoms and technology companies, Türk Telekom, is after startups developing solutions in artificial intelligence, financial technology, or fintech and health care, as it prepares for the 14th edition of its venture capital arm TT Ventures' startup accelerator program Pilot.
The latest round of Pilot comes at a time of major shifts in Türkiye's technology ecosystem, as artificial intelligence applications expand rapidly and global investor interest in both the Middle East and Türkiye continues to grow.
As Türkiye's first corporate startup accelerator, Pilot is positioning itself as a launchpad for selected startups. The application period, which opened in February and will continue until the end of May, reflects the program's continued ambition to help Turkish startups scale globally through its cooperation with Stanford University and its links to Silicon Valley.
Run by TT Ventures since 2013, the program continues to focus on early-stage technology startups with the goal of helping them expand into international markets.
The program consists of a 12-week acceleration process. During that period, selected startups receive one-on-one mentoring from a network of more than 450 investors, industry professionals and executives from Türk Telekom.
Startups are also provided with free office space at the Tahtakale Santral building and the offices located at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Istanbul.
In addition, Türk Telekom offers access to its technology infrastructure, cloud services and mobile communication support.
Teams that successfully complete the 12-week program become eligible for investment from TT Ventures and gain the opportunity to present their products to leading investors at the Demo Day event.
One of the key features that sets Pilot apart from other accelerator programs is its international partnership with Stanford. Through this cooperation, which has continued uninterrupted for the past three years, startups completing the program have been able to participate in specially designed training sessions, workshops and investor presentation events at Stanford's Global Education Center.
The program also includes one-on-one investor meetings that help startups integrate into the Silicon Valley ecosystem. TT Ventures' office in San Francisco serves as a bridge for Turkish startups seeking access to global markets.
The program's 14-year track record is backed by concrete figures.
To date, Pilot has provided $3.2 million in cash and investment support to 131 startups. Of those companies, 78 have gone on to raise a combined $58 million from domestic and international sources.
The total portfolio value of all Pilot graduates has now exceeded $600 million.
Muhammed Özhan, general manager of TT Ventures, said the program offers far more than financial support.
According to Özhan, startups also benefit from corporate connections and mentorship networks that help refine their business models. They are also able to test their products under real market conditions through direct contact with Türk Telekom's broad customer base.
The structure also provides startups with access to global investor networks, reinforcing the goal of producing new unicorns from Türkiye.
MarturFompak, one of the world's leading automotive seat manufacturers, has once again drawn international attention with the humanoid robot technology it has integrated into its production lines.
The northwestern Bursa-based company, which has already won the prestigious SAP Innovation Award four times, is now considered one of the strongest candidates once again.
Speaking at the SAP Connect Day event, Uğur Candan, general manager of SAP Türkiye, said he was pleased that a company from Türkiye had reached the final stage among thousands of institutions worldwide.
MarturFompak International Group Intelligent Technologies Director Özlem Altınışık said the company's 80-person technology team develops solutions in artificial intelligence, data analytics, automation and advanced technologies with the agility of a next-generation startup.
Altınışık said the company has also started using artificial intelligence in automotive seat fabric design, adding that it aims to forecast customer preferences several years in advance by tracking the choices of the end customers of the companies it serves.
Founded in 1986 in Türkiye, MarturFompak has combined its deep experience in automotive seat manufacturing with major investments in advanced technologies in recent years.
The humanoid robots integrated into its production processes are designed to mimic human movement and are used in critical tasks such as assembly and quality control.
Unlike traditional industrial robots, these systems are able to operate in spaces that are otherwise difficult to access. This not only increases efficiency but also significantly improves workplace safety.
The company has integrated the robots into its existing production infrastructure in a way that demonstrates an unusual degree of operational maturity for the sector.
MarturFompak's success in this area goes beyond a technological breakthrough and also reflects its deep integration with the SAP ecosystem.
The company has built its digital transformation in enterprise resource planning and supply chain management on SAP platforms. This integrated approach allows data collected from humanoid robots to be analyzed instantly, enabling production decisions to be made much faster.
The SAP Innovation Award is regarded as one of the most prestigious recognitions in the corporate software industry.
MarturFompak has already won the award on four separate occasions, cementing its position among the most innovative users within the SAP ecosystem.
Its fifth nomination places the company on the verge of a level of achievement reached by only a handful of companies globally.
The company's success also highlights the determination of Turkish manufacturers to invest in advanced technologies.
By combining its long history with an innovative vision, MarturFompak continues to offer an inspiring model for both Türkiye's automotive ecosystem and the global manufacturing industry.
