TRVC18: A. Burak Dağlıoğlu on Attracting Global Investment to the Turkish Startup Ecosystem

Discover how Türkiye is attracting globalinvestment into its startup ecosystem. In this TRVC episode, A. BurakDağlıoğlu, President of the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency ofthe Republic of Türkiye, also known as Invest in Türkiye, shares insights onventure capital, foreign direct investment (FDI), and why Türkiye is becoming ahub for tech startups and regional champions.

We cover the journey of the Investment andFinance Office, its role in attracting international capital, and how publicpolicy, sovereign wealth funds, and development banks are shaping theecosystem. Dağlıoğlu shares insights on Türkiye’s unique advantages—talent,demographics, geography—and explains why the focus is shifting from countingunicorns to building regional champions.

If you’re a founder, VC, or investorcurious about opportunities in Türkiye, this is a must-listen episode packedwith data, strategy, and vision.

📌 Chapters

00:00 – Title & intro
00:00:06 – Welcome & guest intro (A. BurakDağlıoğlu)
00:00:29 – Career path to the Presidency
00:01:13 – What the Investment &Finance Office does
00:02:04 – Global footprint & network(US, Europe, Gulf, Asia)
00:03:23 – FDI trends & the shift totech
00:04:11 – Roadshows & investoroutreach (since 2015)
00:05:40 – Funding growth: $100M → $5B
00:06:49 – Why Türkiye is attractive:talent, scale, geography
00:07:00 – Key sectors: AI, SaaS,FinTech, HealthTech & more
00:10:21 – Policy & incentives:Technoparks, R&D zones, grants
00:12:08 – Challenges at Series A+ &exits
00:16:09 – Regional champions vs.unicorns
00:22:01 – Wealth Fund & DevelopmentFund (TTF, BIGG)
00:28:12 – Diaspora & dual-hubstrategy
00:29:58 – Alternative markets: Africa& Central Asia
00:31:45 – Advice for internationalinvestors (engage, co-invest)
00:34:45 – Reasons for optimism: youth& mindset
00:37:30 – Closing & thanks

About TRVC

TRVC – The Turkish VC Podcast exploresTürkiye’s venture capital ecosystem through conversations with founders,investors, and ecosystem leaders. Hosted by Yunus Çelebiler, the podcast bringsglobal perspectives to one of the most dynamic emerging markets.