GEN in Türkiye

GEN began operating in Turkiye in 2008 when a coalition of Turkiye’s leading entrepreneurship organizations came together to lead the inaugural Global Entrepreneurship Week campaign. The coalition was led by Endeavor Turkiye, Habitat Dernegi, TIM (Türkiye İhracatçılar Meclisi) and TOBB (Türkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birliği) and included a wide range of organizations that coalesced to promote entrepreneurship every November.

Global Entrepreneurship Week

The GEW campaign was an immediate success inspiring people and institutionalizing support for the startup ecosystem through large-scale collaborations. Key activities and milestones include:

• Educational Outreach: Beginning in 2008, initiatives including Young Innovator and Entrepreneurship Program introduced entrepreneurship curricula and skills development to Turkish high schools, reaching more than 35,000 students and thousands of teachers.
• University Partnerships: Institutions including Sabancı University and Özyeğin University hosted specialized events:
  • Panel Discussions: Focused on topics such as “How Hidden Champions Grow,” and often featured international collaboration with European researchers.
  • Alumni Talks: Graduates shared experiences on building tech startups, navigating investment processes, and developing business models.
  • Pitch Competitions: Hosted competitions such as the Entrepreneurship Business Idea Contest.
• National Coordination and Scaling: GEW activities had scaled significantly by 2010, reaching 38 provinces with 178 events involving over 200 stakeholders and 18,000 participants.
• Global Dialogue: Senior Turkish leaders participated in broader global dialogues on topics including intellectual property rights and public-private partnerships.
• Award-Winning Campaigns: These early efforts were globally recognized. In 2012, Endeavor Turkiye won the GEW Campaign of the Year Award for its excellence in coordinating the week’s diverse national activities.
• Foundational Ecosystem Building: Activities during this period focused on breaking down cultural barriers and fostering a mindset in which starting a business is a desirable career choice.

The story of GEN in Türkiye was one of long-term collaboration and global excellence during this foundational period, which led to Istanbul hosting the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in 2018 and the collective partnership of Endeavor, Habitat Dernegi, TIM, and TOBB winning the 2018 One Global Ecosystem Award.

GEC Istanbul 2018

The 10th Annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in 2018 was a landmark event that significantly elevated the profile of the Turkish entrepreneurship ecosystem. Opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his keynote address emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, major initiatives that are symbols of the country’s entrepreneurial spirit, such as the country’s first indigenous automobile company, and how hosting of the GEC is a testament to Istanbul’s role as a global crossroads and regional hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. Thousands of delegates from over 170 countries attended the opening, which set an optimistic tone for the four-day event focused on building "One Global Ecosystem."

GEC Istanbul was organized by the GEN, the Kauffman Foundation, and Endeavor Turkiye, which served as the primary local host.

• Global Participation: The event brought together over 6,000 delegates from 171 countries, including entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and policymakers.
• Under the theme, "Building One Global Ecosystem" the Congress focused on three core pillars: Innovation Culture, Zero Barriers, and Exponential Thinking.
• Startup Nations Ministerial: A high-level session brought together ministers and government officials from a wide variety of countries to discuss reducing regulatory barriers, leveraging digital technologies and helping startups scale.
• Key Speakers: Notable plenary speakers included global entrepreneurship leaders from India, South Africa, and Thailand, and Muhtar Kent (Chair of Coca-Cola), who emphasized the "innovate or become irrelevant" mindset.
• Strategic Impact: GEC Istanbul was a catalytic moment for Istanbul, positioning the city as a "Davos for Entrepreneurship" and fostering the "Global Connectedness" essential for the success of Turkish startups.

The GEC propelled the institutionalization of GEN in Turkiye. In 2020, GEN and Habitat Derneği launched GEN in Türkiye in order to provide year-round, institutionalized support for entrepreneurs and serve as a vital bridge between Türkiye’s ecosystems and global resources, policy insights, and investment networks. It has worked to decentralize innovation and provide practical tools through a suite of hackathons, training, and policy initiatives that move entrepreneurs from idea stage to global scaling. As an official partner of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, it is integrated it into Turkiye’s formal entrepreneurial policy framework.

GEN in Türkiye is led by the country’s most prominent business and ecosystem leaders who include:

• Nevzat Aydın (Board Chair): Founder of Yemeksepeti and a pioneering figure in the Turkish tech sector.
• Buğra Avcı (Managing Director): Lead executive managing national operations and global coordination.
• Didem Altop (Board Member): Former leader of Endeavor Türkiye and a global expert in scale-up ecosystems.

GEN Campus Denizli

GEN in Turkiye officially opened its first GEN Campus in October 2022 in the southwestern city of Denizli to serve as a regional entrepreneurship and startup hub. It serves as a physical space for entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate, and access global networks similar to GEN’s other campuses such as 22 On Sloane in South Africa.

The Campus is the local home of national and international GEN initiatives:

• Startup Hub: Provides an environment for founders to share knowledge and networks in a region where talent is plentiful but opportunities may be less accessible.
• Program Hosting: Serves as a regional base for flagship GEN activities in Türkiye, including the GEW, EWC, and Startup Huddle.
• Ecosystem Building: Hosts regular "Entrepreneurship Chats" and networking events to foster local community engagement.

It is operated through a strategic collaboration between GEN in Türkiye, which provides global connectivity, and DEGİAD (Denizli Young Businessmen Association), which supports the hub’s programming. By decentralizing support away from Istanbul and Ankara, GEN Campus Denizli is strengthening the regional economy and contributing to Türkiye's overall entrepreneurial competitiveness.

Global Startup Competition Success

GEN in Türkiye has also promoted the Entrepreneurship World Cup, one of GEN’s competitions that propel Turkish startups into the global ecosystem.

• 2025 Global Finalists
  • Kybele's Garden: A biotechnology startup focused on algae-based regenerative solutions. They utilize advanced bioponics and fermentation to produce bioactive ingredients for agriculture, food, and cosmetics.
  • SCP-EyeOnBlue: Part of the Smart City and Partners network, this initiative focuses on marine data observation and blue economy technologies to enhance ocean intelligence.
• 2024 Global Finalists
  • ALGBIO: A deep-tech company using microalgae for carbon capture and wastewater treatment, transforming industrial waste into biofuels and bioplastics.
  • Laska Technology: A clean-tech venture that upcycles end-of-life tires into high-value raw materials like recovered carbon black and biofuel.
  • Saharo Robotik: Developers of autonomous mobile service robots for hospitality, healthcare, and logistics, integrating AI to automate indoor delivery.

GEN remains bullish on the Turkish entrepreneurial ecosystem and continues to engage where helpful especially in providing additional global connectivity for founders, investors, and the entrepreneurial support organizations that support them.