GITEX Ai Türkiye brings global startups and investors to Istanbul

Startups, investors and tech leaders from more than 20 countries will gather in Istanbul on 9-10 September for the inaugural GITEX Ai Türkiye 2026. The event aims to connect Türkiye’s startup ecosystem with global capital, markets and enterprise partners as the country pushes for more international scale-ups.

Why it matters: - Istanbul is positioning itself as a bridge between startup ecosystems across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. - Türkiye’s innovation scene is gaining global visibility as startups seek customers, partnerships and funding beyond domestic markets. - The event comes as access to capital remains a major hurdle for Turkish founders, even as funding volumes rise.

What happened: - GITEX Ai Türkiye 2026 will debut on 9-10 September at Istanbul Expo Centre. - The event will bring together startups, investors, policymakers, speakers and technology executives from around the world. - More than 300 enterprise and startup exhibitors are expected. - The event is hosted by the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, also known as Invest in Türkiye. - The event is organised by inD, the joint venture between Dubai World Trade Centre and Informa that runs GITEX events globally.

The details: - Startups from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East will show technologies for sustainable agriculture, AI education, enterprise software, health, infrastructure and other sectors. - Malaysia’s AgroPV Integrated SB will present commercial agrivoltaics that combine solar energy and agriculture. - Pakistan-based Nosmai will show augmented reality and camera AI tools for e-commerce, retail and consumer platforms. - Nigeria’s Zenafri says its AI multimedia education frameworks have reached more than 130,000 learners. - Poland’s AI Tech Matrix is building enterprise intelligence tools for IT troubleshooting. - Peru’s Ourabyte helps organisations move emerging technologies from prototype to implementation. - Jordan’s SOLVillion provides engineering solutions in construction, water and sanitation, and renewable energy. - Türkiye ranked No. 3 among Emerging Startup Ecosystems in the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, up 13 places over five years. - Türkiye has produced eight home-grown unicorns. - Türkiye’s AI pipeline includes 1,188 active startups, according to the 2025 Turkish Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem and Global Impact Report. - The Turcorn 100 Program had admitted 39 companies as of 30 April 2026, with 24 exhibiting at GITEX Ai Türkiye. - Turcorn participants include Colendi, which raised $104 million in its latest funding round. - Other Turcorn exhibitors include Vispera ($15 million), Saha Robotics ($4 million), WASK ($3.1 million) and TechSign ($1.7 million), according to a Turcorn 100 report. - Lavren, part of the İTÜ ARI Teknokent ecosystem, is building AI tools for legal and professional services. - Syntina AI is applying generative AI to architecture and design. - Workiom is using the event to push its AI-first work management platform into international markets.

Between the lines: - Türkiye is using GITEX Ai Türkiye to market itself as both a startup destination and a launchpad for companies that want cross-border scale. - The mix of enterprise sponsors, global investors and regional founders suggests the event is designed as a dealmaking venue, not just a showcase. - Funding data shows momentum and strain at the same time: Turkish startup investment reached $700 million in 2025, then hit $559 million in the first quarter of 2026, while 71% of entrepreneurs still cite financing as a key challenge, according to an Ernst & Young report. - More than 100 investors from 20 countries, with over US$100 billion in assets under management, are expected. - The investor list includes Manhattan Ventures, Molten Ventures, Gobi Partners, Jasoor VC and Utopia Capital, alongside corporate venture funds, state-backed funds, banks and strategic investors. - WaVe-X, backed by the €3.5 billion WALTER GROUP, is among the international investors attending. - WaVe-X recently backed HappyRobot after the agentic AI company raised $150 million at a $1.2 billion valuation. - ÜNLÜ & Co. will participate through ÜNLÜ Ventures. - Bloomberg data covering 2010-2026 shows ÜNLÜ & Co. ranked second among private financial institutions in Türkiye for targeted equity capital markets transactions, excluding privatisations, with a 23% market share across 37 transactions valued at US$3.4 billion. - Google Cloud, HPE & NVIDIA, AWS, Schneider Electric, Huawei, ASUS, Dell Technologies, SAP, TrendAI, Trendyol, Andevos and Halkbank are among the participating tech and regional companies.

What's next: - Startups at the event will look to secure customers, partnerships and capital during the two-day gathering. - Turkish founders will use the platform to test international demand and present companies built for global expansion. - The event could signal whether Türkiye can convert its rising startup profile into more cross-border funding and scale-up outcomes.

The bottom line: - GITEX Ai Türkiye is turning Istanbul into a high-stakes meeting point for founders, investors and tech giants looking for the next AI and startup winners.