Turkish tech companies on South Korean investors’ radar

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem, particularly its global successes in gaming and artificial intelligence, continues to attract the attention of South Korean investors.

Recently, strategic initiatives targeting the Asian market have gained momentum, and investment ties between South Korea and Türkiye have picked up a new pace.

The ability of Turkish startups to generate high profitability with limited resources stands out as the key factor providing a competitive edge in global markets. This dynamism not only drives capital flow but also strengthens Türkiye’s position as a regional technology hub.

Türkiye’s startup ecosystem is very strong in certain aspects, said Barış Özistek, CEO of Boğaziçi Ventures, which participated in the “Korea IT Show” event.

“There is a growing number of companies successfully expanding their customer base across Europe and the U.S. with consumer-focused AI mobile apps, enterprise software solutions and digital games,” he added.

Özistek emphasized that South Korean investors have a very positive outlook on Türkiye, noting that in the past six months, they saw strong interest during events organized with the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency.

He added: “South Korean firms see Turkish companies as potential partners to expand into the region. They closely follow Türkiye’s ability to influence a wide geography and want to position themselves in verticals such as gaming, FinTech, and defense, where Türkiye has produced very successful companies.”

“South Korea is not very strong in casual games, while Turkey is highly successful. This directly attracts their interest. Similar reasons drive attention in defense, industrial technologies, and AI applications as well,” Özistek said.