Turkish startups attract $475 million in first nine months of 2025
ISTANBUL
Startups in Türkiye secured $475 million in funding across 240 deals during the first nine months of 2025, according to the latest Türkiye Startup Ecosystem Investment Report released by StartupCentrum.
The report shows that fintech led the market by investment volume, attracting $197.9 million, followed by the gaming sector with $149.8 million, and manufacturing and materials technologies with $12.4 million. In terms of deal count, health and biotechnology, gaming, fintech and advanced manufacturing stood out.
Artificial intelligence ventures continued their rapid rise, accounting for 17.7 percent of all transactions over the past five years.
Analysts expect AI to remain a key driver of innovation across multiple verticals, from financial services and healthcare to gaming and industrial technologies.
While the number of deals declined compared with the same period last year, the total investment amount remained strong. Of the transactions, 106 were carried out under the TÜBİTAK-BİGG (BİGG) program, totaling about $2.42 million, while 11 deals were completed through crowdfunding platforms, raising approximately $1.66 million.
On an annual basis, Türkiye’s 2025 investment volume is tracking above 2023 levels, though still below the record highs of 2021 and 2022.
The geographic distribution of investments highlighted both the continued dominance of major hubs and the growing spread of capital into Anatolia, supported by public funding initiatives. Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir remained the top three cities for startup investment, while Kocaeli emerged as a rising center, boosted by BİGG-backed projects.
Foreign participation also remained steady, with 65 international investors taking part in deals. The report noted that global funds are increasingly favoring more mature startups with strong scaling potential, rather than early-stage ventures.
