Take Off İstanbul

Take Off İstanbul is a comprehensive innovation and entrepreneurship summit organized as a technology-focused international gathering. Since 2018, Take Off İstanbul, led by the Türkiye Technology Team Foundation (T3 Vakfı) in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye and the Presidency of Investment and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye, has served as a strategic platform bringing together international and regional entrepreneurship and investment ecosystems in Istanbul.

Organized under a nonprofit structure, the summit creates a foundation for the systematic growth of startups, expansion of investment networks, and development of international collaborations. Its primary objective is to connect technology startups at various stages with investors, corporate representatives, and ecosystem stakeholders on a unified platform.

T3 Vakfı’s programs targeting the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the TEKNOFEST framework strengthen the institutional infrastructure of the summit. The event has been held in recent years at the Istanbul Fair Center. As of 2025, the summit has been held for the eighth time on December 10–11, 2025.

^{Take Off İstanbul International Entrepreneurship Summit} (AA)

Take Off İstanbul began in 2018 as a side event held indoors at Istanbul Airport and has since evolved into a large-scale entrepreneurship platform with rapidly growing international participation. In its inaugural year, the event received over 1,000 applications from more than 100 countries, featured 200 startups, and included 60 speakers.^【1】 

Over the years, the entrepreneurship summit has become a central hub attracting international participation from 80 to over 100 countries and uniting technology startups from diverse fields in Istanbul. Since 2018, hundreds of startups have received acceleration, exposure, and investment opportunities, and multinational participation has expanded significantly.

Between 2018 and 2024, Take Off recorded the following number of applications:

• 900+ applications (2021),
• 944 applications (2022),
• 1,252 applications (2023),
• 1,040+ applications (2024)

Thus, more than 1,000 startups have directly benefited from the program.^【2】 

^{Take Off Entrepreneurship Stage} (Take Off)

• 2018 Take Off İstanbul: The 2018 Take Off event was held at Istanbul Airport from September 20 to 23. Over 1,000 applications were received from more than 100 countries, and 200 international startups participated.

• 2019 Take Off İstanbul: Held at Atatürk Airport from September 16 to 19, 2019, Take Off İstanbul hosted 200 startups.

• 2020 Take Off İstanbul: The event was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic.

• 2021 Take Off İstanbul: In line with pandemic conditions, Take Off İstanbul returned to Atatürk Airport from September 20 to 22, 2021. Over 900 applications were received from more than 80 countries. Additionally, 156 mentor applications were recorded from over 30 countries. At the event, 99 startups from 33 countries, 46 mentors, and 36 supporting institutions participated in person.

• 2022 Summit: In 2022, Take Off was held both in Baku and Istanbul. In Istanbul, 68 startups and 23 alumni startups participated. The Istanbul event featured 32 speakers from 18 countries, 61 investors, 32 mentors, and 22 institutions.

The Baku leg of the summit took place at Crystal Hall from May 26 to 28, 2022, and included 50 startups.

• 2023 Take Off İstanbul: It received 1,252 applications from 43 countries. 184 international startups participated in the event.

• 2024 Take Off İstanbul: It received over 1,000 applications from 70 countries. 250 startups selected from 23 countries participated. Additionally, 15,000 attendees followed the event remotely.

^{Investment and Awards Provided to Startups under Take Off İstanbul} (Take Off)

Held on December 10–11, 2025, at the Istanbul Fair Center, Take Off İstanbul was organized under the leadership of T3 Vakfı in cooperation with institutions including the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Presidency of Investment and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye. Take Off İstanbul 2025 attracts not only local but also an international audience. Over 500 startups from more than 40 countries are expected to participate, making the event one of the most comprehensive entrepreneurship summits in the region. At the summit, Spain, Bangladesh, North Macedonia, and Uzbekistan established national pavilions to represent their respective startup ecosystems. Special sessions such as “Entrepreneurship Event” and “International Investor Meeting” were organized to enhance professional interaction among participants. Visitors were able to explore technology company booths, follow startup pitches, and gain insights into current innovation trends through sessions held over the two days.

The 2025 summit was attended by over 500 startups from 40 countries, more than 250 investors, 80 partner institutions, and 13 sponsor organizations.

• Platinum Sponsors: Aselsan, Google, SB Girişim Yatırımları, Trendyol, and Turkcell.

• Gold Sponsors: Ant International and Uber.

• Silver Sponsors: Hepsiburada, Monster, and Türkiye Teknoloji Fonu.

• Media Sponsors: 2N and TRT.

• Partners: Akbank, Innovation Center, ICT Division, Department of ICT, Emlak Konut, Fark Labs, Havelsan, Innox, Kalkınma Yatırım Bankası/Türkiye Kalkınma Fonu, Lonca Girişimcilik Merkezi, Kuveyt Türk, Meta, ODTÜ-Teknokent, Oyak Portföy, Rising Up in Spain, Roketsan, SSTEK, Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye, TENMARK, Turin Polytechnic, and Turkish Aerospace Industries.

• VC Partners: Some of the 21 VC partners include ACT Venture Partners, Boğaziçi Ventures, Leap, Metis, and Tenity.

• Ecosystem Partner: Among the 24 ecosystem partners are Teknokent, Genç Müsiad, and Bilişim Vadisi.

Among the speakers at the 2025 summit are Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Director of the Investment Office Ahmet Burak Dağlıoğlu, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of T3 Vakfı Selçuk Bayraktar, AI expert Steve Nouri, Turkcell CEO Dr. Ali Taha Koç, Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol, and President of the Türkiye Space Agency Yusuf Kıraç, along with senior executives from various technology companies.

Additionally, Take Off İstanbul 2025 hosted speakers who are recognized experts in technology, entrepreneurship, investment, and international collaboration:

• Steve Nouri: CEO & Co-Founder, GenAI Works
• Diana Virgovičová: CEO & Founder, Xatoms
• Alexey Shevenkov: Chief Technology Officer, Hepsiburada
• Alex Jin: Head of GLocal Partner Expansion, Alipay+ Next Center (Ant International)
• Michael Lints: Partner, Golden Gate Ventures
• Omnia Hamed: Senior Director – International Investments, The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum (SEED Group)
• Iva Gumnishka: Founder, Entrepreneurs for Palestine
• Soumaya Ben Beya Dridje: General Partner, Rasmal Ventures

In 2025, the Executive Lounge model was introduced for the first time. This model aims to facilitate targeted interactions between investors and entrepreneurs, designed as a dedicated space enabling more efficient, focused, and productive business meetings. It builds upon the Investor Lounge experience introduced in 2024, which served as a professional interaction hub where investment evaluation processes were accelerated and corporate representatives and fund managers could directly review startups.

The summit’s program focuses on current topics in technology and entrepreneurship. Main stage sessions cover themes such as productive artificial intelligence, deep tech, fintech, global investment trends, and sustainability.

Side stages host startup pitches, allowing selected startups to present their products to investors. Educational sessions for students and a volunteer model are included in the program to support youth engagement in the technology ecosystem.

^{Take Off İstanbul 2025 Event Poster} (TRT)

The summit provides dedicated spaces for one-on-one meetings. In 2024, 557 scheduled meetings were conducted; in 2023, a total of 1,914 one-on-one meetings took place. These experiences served as reference points for shaping the 2025 model.

Entrepreneurship events, international investor meetings, and corporate matching programs strengthen the summit’s collaboration-based structure.

Startups display their products in booth areas and conduct business meetings with institutions. In 2024, the exhibition area spanned 9,250 square meters and hosted startup and partner booths.

The official language of the event is English, and AI-powered translation services are provided to ensure multilingual access. Program schedules and event information are accessible via a mobile application.

Total data from 2018 to 2024:

• 935 entrepreneurs,
• Over 550 mentors and investors,
• 192 speakers,
• Over 5,500 one-on-one meetings

have been recorded.^【3】 

To date, the summit has provided over $1.8 million in awards and investment support.