Financing in technology sectors such as finance, gaming, and artificial intelligence significantly characterize the startup investments in Turkey during the initial half.
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In the second half of 2025, Turkey's startup ecosystem is set to continue its strong investment focus on fintech, gaming, and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors, although investors are expected to be more selective[1][4].
Key points include:
Fintech led funding in the first half of 2025 with $97.1 million, demonstrating robust growth. The recent $80 million Series B funding raised by the Turkish investment platform Midas is setting a new benchmark for the country’s fintech sector. Midas aims to expand both domestically and internationally by enhancing security, technology infrastructure, and offering innovative financial products, indicating strong investor confidence in fintech[1][3][5].
The gaming sector received $72.4 million in investments in the first half of 2025 and continues to maintain strong momentum. It is recognized globally as one of the most active sectors, continually attracting international investors. This momentum is expected to persist into the second half of the year[1].
Artificial intelligence, with $12.6 million raised in the first half, is predicted to see accelerated investments especially in AI infrastructure, applications, digital health, and robotics, reflecting a global trend that Turkey is aiming to follow closely[1].
The investment environment is described as selective and cautious, prioritizing startups with solid foundations amid a young and tech-savvy population that promises long-term opportunities[1].
Other sectors such as digital health and robotics are also expected to receive increasing interest, although fintech, gaming, and AI remain the dominant areas in the Turkish ecosystem at this time[1].
In summary, fintech and gaming will remain the top-funded sectors, with AI gaining significant traction in the second half of 2025. Despite a selective investment climate, the overall activity is expected to be higher than the first half but possibly not enough to exceed the total volumes seen in the previous year[1][4].
Turkey ranks above markets like Romania and Bulgaria in terms of investment volume, but behind Poland and Czechia. The ecosystem's momentum in fintech, gaming, and AI over recent years has built a competitive structure in product quality and talent pool[1].
The TÜSİAD Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Working Group report highlights Turkey as being among the top 10 in the EMEA region for startups' birth, product testing, perfecting, and scaling globally with the home country as base[1].
Ali Karabey described the ecosystem as resilient against global economic fluctuations in the first half of 2025[1]. Gaming, retail tech, and defense are other top draws in Turkey's startup ecosystem, alongside fintech, AI, and AI applications[1].
Sources: [1] Venture Burn: Turkey's Startup Ecosystem Report H1 2025 [3] TechCrunch: Midas raises $80M Series B to expand its investment platform in Turkey [4] Tech EU: Turkey's startup ecosystem: What you need to know [5] Midas Investment: Midas raises $80 million in Series B funding to fuel expansion in Turkey and beyond
- Despite a more selective investment climate, the Turkish business sector is anticipated to continue its investment focus on top-funded sectors like fintech, gaming, and artificial intelligence (AI), with fintech and gaming remaining the primary recipients and AI gaining significant traction.
- With the robotics, digital health, and other sectors also expected to receive increasing interest, technology is set to play a crucial role in the ongoing growth and development of Turkey's business landscape, following global trends closely, particularly in AI infrastructure, applications, and AI-related industries.
