YTÜ Startup House launched in London, aiming to take Turkish tech to the UK
Aiming to bring Türkiye’s potential in technology and entrepreneurship to the international arena, YTU Yıldız Technopark initiated the activities of its London office. Speaking at the opening program held in Istanbul following the event in the UK, Kenan Poleo, British Consul General in Istanbul, stated that the UK welcomes Turkish technology companies, while Orhan Tanışman, General Manager at Yıldız Technopark, saying that they brought startups and investors together with the London office.
According to Statista’s research on the UK market for the year 2024, the IT Services market in the UK is estimated to exceed £100 billion in 2024, while London, which has a share of 5-10% in the world IT sector, produces an economic output of over £85 billion annually. YTU Startup House, the global brand of YTU Yıldız Technopark, which acts with the motivation of bringing Turkish tech companies to the international market, has launched its London office with the support of Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, Digital Transformation Office of the Presidency of Türkiye. (By the way I have a story here about the opening of a Turkish tech center, aiming Industry 4.0 move.)
Poleo: “Bilateral relations between the British and Türkiye governments continue to strengthen”
“Turkish heritage is a rich tapestry woven with threads of resilience, craftsmanship and hospitality. This culture speaks of creativity, resilience and entrepreneurship. Today, we are delighted to bring this heritage to London, a city where diversity and innovation thrive. Today, we are witnessing the convergence of Türkiye’s entrepreneurial spirit and the UK’s vibrant tech ecosystem. As you know, bilateral relations between the UK government and the Turkish government continue to strengthen,” said Poleo. The UK’s technology ecosystem is a world leader, worth over $1 trillion and growing rapidly. It is home to over 85,000 startups and scale-ups and more than 170 unicorns, more than France and Germany combined. Investors recognize the strengths of the UK’s tech ecosystem. It attracts more venture capital investment than its European competitors. In 2022, startups received more than $31 billion in VC funding, told Poleo
Tanışman: “It is important to bring the ecosystem here to the world”
Orhan Tanışman, who made the opening speech, said: “As Yıldız Technopark, being the first in Türkiye for years in a row was not enough for us. We had consolidated our leadership in our region. But in order to have a say in the global arena, we started our journey in Silicon Valley in 2015, taking us to Tashkent and Dubai, and then we came to London, which is the point we really wanted to reach. Last week, on April 15, we opened our branch. It is important to be able to bring the ecosystem here to the world and bring them together within the world market. When you think of London, finance comes to mind first. One of the major needs of the startup and technology world is the finance sector. Therefore, London’s expatriate system will make a great contribution to us.”
Stating that London is the center of finance, Tanışman continued: “London is one of the central locations of finance and the market. We were in Dubai and Tashkent before. Our global journey started in Silicon Valley like every entrepreneur. This journey we started in 2016-2015 was a very important goal for us. We have been working with London for more than a year and a half. It’s not just about opening an office there. We find structures that are interested in startups developing technology there. We also help companies to adapt to the legislation of that country such as taxes and incentives.”
Each country has its own focus. For example, the UK is currently looking for serious startups in artificial intelligence. In Europe, technology entrepreneurs are now more prominent. In terms of talent, the whole world is currently looking for digital talents. In London, the number of Turkish companies establishing companies is quite high. Therefore, someone needs to be a roof for these companies and make them stronger in the market. We are actually the link between London and Istanbul, London and Türkiye, added Tanışman. London is a very special place for this business. It is really meaningful for us to be here. I guess it will also be an important step for Turkish technology entrepreneurs, according to Tanışman.
