BY SELENAY YAGCI
The funding interest in the Turkish startup ecosystem increasingly continues after investments reached a billion-dollar level in 2021. USD 1.59bn invested in startups with the seed, early stage, and venture capital (VC) financing levels through 300 deals in 2022, according to the startup ecosystem intelligence platform startups. watch. The figure totaled USD 1.63bn in 2021. The funding amounted to USD 1.74bn in 2022 when investments in Turkish startups headquartered abroad is added. Excluding the mega deals of the rapid grocery delivery service Getir, which has dominated the ecosystem for two years, hit an all-time high of USD 825m. This amount corresponds to a 26% annual hike. The number of agreements dropped from 332 to 300 in 2022, as compared to 2021. Excluding Getir’s agreements, 54% of the investment was made in gaming and fintech startups. Investments were mainly made in startups operating in the grocery delivery, gaming, AI (Artificial Intelligence), SaaS (Software as Service), and marketing technologies. Metaverse deals jumped 700% in 2022, as compared to 2021.
