Top 63 Istanbul Startups to Watch in 2026
Istanbul's startup ecosystem shows a strong presence in diverse sectors like financial technology and mobile gaming. The city serves as a base for many new companies establishing themselves in the market.
The fintech firm Midas leads with $137 million in total funding. The gaming industry is also a significant player, with companies like Good Job Games raising $83 million.
Below is our list of 63 Istanbul startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Midas built a regulated brokerage platform for investing in equities, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies. Their service simplifies the investment process, allowing users to manage a diverse portfolio of traditional and digital assets from a single app.
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Egem Eraslan, Umut Bozkurt |
| Funding Amount | $137M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | QED Investors, HSG, International Finance Corporation, QuantumLight, Spark Capital |
MARS provides digital financial services centered around unique card options and a user-focused rewards program. The company is known for its mobile-first approach to banking, giving users modern payment solutions.
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Burcu Bekdash, Emrah Rich, Eray Yuksek |
| Funding Amount | $2.7M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | StartupFon, Kultura Capital Management, Sina Afra, ICU Venture Capital Investment Partnership |
Longi operates a club for people over 50, providing a space for community, learning, and personal growth. Members gain access to intergenerational learning programs, various community activities, and preventive healthcare services.
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Ali Murat Ceylan, Berk Yilmaz, Fatih Mustafa Celebi |
| Funding Amount | $200k |
| Startup Size | Founding Team (1-10) |
| Last Funding Status | Angel |
| Top Investors | — |
Good Job Games creates and publishes hyper-casual mobile games for a global audience. Their portfolio includes numerous chart-topping titles that have collectively surpassed three billion downloads.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Ilker Ilicalı |
| Funding Amount | $83M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | Menlo Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Anthos Capital, Digiage, Arcadia Gaming Partners |
Sipay develops payment, e-money, and embedded finance solutions for businesses and individual users. Their platform enables companies to integrate financial services, such as digital wallets and payment gateways, directly into their products.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Nezih Sipahioğlu |
| Funding Amount | $93M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | QuantumLight, Elephant, Pareto Holdings, Edward Lando, Anfa |
Bigger Games builds mobile games that millions of people play every day. Their portfolio of casual titles features simple mechanics and engaging loops designed to attract a wide audience.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Erkan Gürel, Hakan Ulvan, Yanki Yagiz Akpek |
| Funding Amount | $31M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | Index Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Play Ventures, Arcadia Gaming Partners, David Helgason |
RS Research discovers and develops smart nanomedicines for use in targeted therapies. The clinical-stage biotechnology company is focused on creating more precise and effective treatments for complex diseases.
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Rana Sanyal, Sena Nomak |
| Funding Amount | $14.4M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Grant |
| Top Investors | European Innovation Council, Eczacıbaşı Momentum, ACT Venture Partners, İstanbul Portföy Yönetimi, Gen Pharmaceuticals |
Albert Health develops a voice-based health assistant that helps patients better manage their chronic diseases. The application uses conversational AI to guide users through their treatment plans and daily health routines.
| Year Founded | 2018 |
| Founders | Ensar Güneşdoğdu, Recai Serdar Gemici, Serhat Uzun |
| Funding Amount | $2.9M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Techstars, Maxis, Sabancı Ventures, Ak Portfoy, Teknoloji Yatirim |
Idenfit builds a cloud-based platform designed to streamline human resources and manage a company's entire workforce. Their software helps businesses handle everything from employee onboarding and time tracking to performance management all in one place.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | ONUR BAYINDIR |
| Funding Amount | $2.1M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Turkey Development Fund, Sistem Global, DOMiNO Ventures, StartersHub, PCP |
Codeway builds and launches mobile apps and games used by more than 110 million people worldwide. The studio's portfolio of AI-powered applications includes the popular art generator Wonder.
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Anıl Simsek |
| Funding Amount | $16M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | — |
53 Additional Istanbul Startups Worth Following
Our top picks are just a small slice of what’s happening in Istanbul. Founders are building all kinds of companies, from gaming to AI, and have raised billions of dollars to fund their work.
Some of these ventures are just getting off the ground, while others are already established players. Here’s a look at the other startups that are shaping the city's tech community.
| Startup | Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Grand Games | Gaming | 2024 | $33M | Series A |
 Twin Science & Robotics | Media | 2017 | $5.6M | Seed |
 Agave Games | Infrastructure | 2021 | $25.4M | Series A |
 letgo | Media | 2015 | $975M | Series E |
 Mega Fortuna | Gaming | 2023 | $12.3M | Corporate Round |
 Trendyol Group | Retail | 2009 | $1.9B | Private Equity |
 Beko | Hardware | 1955 | €475M | Debt Financing |
 Akinon | Enterprise | 2016 | $25M | Series B |
 Itz Nutz | Food | 2021 | $535k | Seed |
 Doktar Technologies | AgTech | 2017 | $10.2M | Venture Round |
 Param | Fintech | 2013 | €50M | Series A |
 a2 Technology | Analytics | 2012 | $1M | Grant |
 Circle Games | Gaming | 2024 | $7.3M | Seed |
 Vispera | Analytics | 2014 | $13.1M | Venture Round |
 FERASET | SaaS | 2023 | $4.5M | Seed |
 Heltia | Media | 2022 | $5.5M | Seed |
 Çalık Enerji | Energy | 1988 | €152M | Debt Financing |
 TeamSec | AI | 2022 | $13.3M | Venture Round |
 Rollic Games | Infrastructure | 2018 | $99k | Seed |
 obilet.com | Retail | 2012 | $19.3M | Series B |
 Aposto | Analytics | 2020 | $500k | Seed |
 Fazla Gıda | Logistics | 2016 | $10.5M | Venture Round |
 Paxie Games | Gaming | 2021 | $4M | Seed |
 Eden Network | Crypto | 2020 | $17.4M | Seed |
 Wask | Marketing | 2018 | $3.1M | Seed |
 Modanisa | Fashion | 2011 | $45.5M | Venture Round |
 Fuse Games | Gaming | 2023 | $9M | Venture Round |
 Mindsite | Analytics | 2019 | $3.8M | Seed |
 ConectoHub | SaaS | 2020 | $143.9k | Seed |
 Scoutium | Marketplace | 2017 | $4.1M | Equity Crowdfunding |
 Mükellef | Fintech | 2019 | $21M | Seed |
 Volt Lines | Mobility | 2017 | $7.7M | Venture Round |
 Papara | Fintech | 2015 | $2M | Seed |
 Spark SuperApp | Mobility | 2022 | $500k | Seed |
 Tarfin | AgTech | 2017 | $14.4M | Series A |
 Lucida AI | AI | 2023 | $1.3M | Pre-Seed |
 Medianova | Cloud | 2005 | $10M | Private Equity |
 RubiBrands | Marketing | 2021 | $26M | Seed |
 Parny | SaaS | 2022 | $300k | Seed |
 Avane Cloud Kitchens | Food | 2020 | $4.1M | Seed |
 VenueX | Enterprise | 2022 | $2M | Seed |
 Paket Mutfak | Enterprise | 2019 | $8.5M | Seed |
 Kavaken | AI | 2022 | $2M | Seed |
 Qubitrium | Infrastructure | 2020 | $1.5M | Seed |
 Metatime | Media | 2019 | $21M | Seed |
 Virgosol Information and Software Solutions | Infrastructure | 2019 | $3.5M | Seed |
 Vepara | Enterprise | 2020 | TRY30.5M | Secondary Market |
 Testinium | Infrastructure | 2010 | $5.3M | Convertible Note |
 Borusan Lojistik | Other | 1973 | $30.5M | Debt Financing |
 Winfluencer | Marketing | 2022 | TRY12.5M | Venture Round |
 Plastic Move | Biotech | 2019 | $4.9M | Seed |
 madlen | Education | 2024 | $350k | Seed |
 SmartPulse Technology | Energy | 2018 | $1.8M | Series A |
