Turkish entrepreneurs are building some of the world's fastest-growing AI companies, with startups founded by Turkish engineers now valued at billions of dollars and backed by top-tier venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital. The trend reveals that AI innovation is no longer concentrated in a handful of traditional tech centers; instead, a global network of founders from diverse backgrounds is reshaping the industry.

How Are Turkish Founders Competing in Silicon Valley?

Two standout examples illustrate the scale of Turkish success in AI. Fal.ai, founded in San Francisco in 2021 by Turkish engineers Burkay Gür and Görkem Yurtseven, provides developers with application programming interfaces (APIs), which are tools that allow software to communicate and share data, for deploying AI models that generate images, video, and audio. In December 2025, the company raised $140 million in a Series D funding round backed by investors including Sequoia Capital and Nvidia, lifting its valuation to $4.5 billion. The company's customer base includes major technology companies such as Perplexity, Canva, and Quora.

Periodic Labs presents an even more dramatic growth trajectory. Founded by former Google DeepMind researcher Ekin Doğuş Çubuk and former OpenAI vice president Liam Fedus, the company combines artificial intelligence with automated robotics laboratories to accelerate materials science research. Although founded only in 2024, Periodic Labs raised $300 million in seed funding at a $1.3 billion valuation in September 2025. By March 2026, its valuation had reportedly increased more than fivefold to approximately $7 billion, bringing it closer to decacorn status, a term used for companies valued at $10 billion or more.

What's Driving the Expansion of Turkey's AI Ecosystem?

The growth of Turkish AI startups reflects broader shifts in the global venture capital landscape. According to the 2025 Turkish Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem and Global Impact Report, Turkey's AI entrepreneurship has evolved into an international ecosystem that extends far beyond the country's borders. The report estimates that 1,188 active AI startups currently operate within Turkey, and when including companies founded overseas by Turkish entrepreneurs, the total exceeds 1,400 startups.

The ecosystem remains relatively young, with most companies established after 2020. Between 2024 and 2025, around 180 AI startups secured early-stage funding, demonstrating sustained momentum in the sector. Industry data shows that venture capital firms are becoming increasingly selective, concentrating larger investments in companies viewed as potential market leaders rather than spreading capital across numerous early-stage startups.

Ipek Çeliksöz, founder of CatalystX Global and investor, emphasized the urgency of AI adoption across all sectors. She noted that in the United States, 86 percent of startup investments in the first half of 2026 went to AI startups, and stressed that the trend is accelerating in Turkey as well.

"I think the chances of a startup that doesn't use AI surviving within five years are very low," said Çeliksöz, adding that "any startup that is global from day one and solves the customer's real problem in the most agile way using its own models and agents will become the 'Peak' of AI in its category."

Ipek Çeliksöz, Founder of CatalystX Global

The data supports her assessment. The number of AI startups founded annually in Turkey has increased by 137 percent since 2021, and the number of active startups has reached 1,500. As of November 2025, there were 326 AI unicorns globally, with the overwhelming majority based in North America, but Europe and Asia are emerging as rapidly growing secondary hubs.

How Are Turkish Companies Scaling to Global Markets?

• Venture Capital Support: Turkish startups are attracting investment from top-tier firms like Sequoia Capital and Nvidia, providing the capital and credibility needed to compete globally.
• Strategic Partnerships: Companies like Türk Telekom are launching accelerator programs in collaboration with Stanford University to help Turkish startups gain international exposure and connect with global investors.
• Specialized Expertise: Turkish founders bring deep technical expertise from roles at leading AI companies like Google DeepMind and OpenAI, giving them competitive advantages in building cutting-edge solutions.

Türk Telekom, one of Turkey's leading telecoms and technology companies, is playing a key role in supporting this expansion. Through its venture capital arm TT Ventures, the company has taken Turkish startups with expertise in next-generation technologies to Silicon Valley for a two-week program focused on "Scaling and Globalization" in cooperation with Stanford University's School of Engineering Global and Online Education Center.

Nine startups from the TT Ventures portfolio participated in workshops, mentoring sessions, and networking events led by Stanford academics while also taking part in meetings and events across Silicon Valley and presenting their businesses during a Demo Day. The startups included Refabric, Priam AI, Homster, Zuzzuu, Werover, Milvus, and Macellan Super App, all of which develop AI-based solutions.

Muhammed Özhan, General Manager of TT Ventures, noted that the program is designed to help startups gain a foothold on the global stage. He explained that the collaboration with Stanford is of great importance for the growth of these startups and their ability to create value on a global scale.

"We not only invest in startups but also take strategic steps to help them gain a foothold on the global stage," stated Özhan.

Muhammed Özhan, General Manager of TT Ventures

The results speak for themselves. The total portfolio value of startups that have graduated from the TT Ventures Pilot program has exceeded $600 million, demonstrating that the program has made a significant contribution to Turkey's vision of transforming into a country that produces and exports high-tech products.

The emergence of Turkish AI startups as global players signals a fundamental shift in how innovation is distributed across the world. Rather than being confined to Silicon Valley or other traditional tech hubs, AI entrepreneurship is increasingly becoming a truly global endeavor, with talented founders from Turkey and other emerging tech ecosystems building the next generation of transformative companies.