Artificial Intelligence Startup Ecosystem of Türkiye: Opportunities and Challenges

This chapter examines the current artificial intelligence (AI) startup ecosystem in Türkiye,highlighting its strategic, institutional, and economic dimensions. Drawing on national policydocuments and international indices, including the OECD Entrepreneurial EcosystemDiagnostics (OECD, 2024) and the WIPO Global Innovation Index (WIPO, 2024), it finds that Türkiye exhibits strong entrepreneurial dynamism, supported by a young, digitally skilled population and an expanding innovation capacity. However, persistent challenges remainregarding organizational maturity, commercialization of Research and Development (R&D)outputs, and talent retention. The chapter further discusses key initiatives such as the NationalArtificial Intelligence Strategy (2021-2025) and the AI Startup Factory (YZF), an institutional accelerator model that connects startups with capital, mentorship, and access to internationalmarkets. Finally, it analyzes selected cases, including Vispera, Novus, and Text2Test, toillustrate the evolving dynamics of AI-driven innovation in Türkiye and the country’s potentialto transition from a “high potential, low maturity” structure to a scalable, globally competitiveecosystem.