Startup Events

Best Startup Events in Turkey

Turkey's startup calendar is busiest in December, when Istanbul hosts Webrazzi Fintech, DevFest Istanbul and İTÜ Çekirdek's Big Bang Startup Challenge within two weeks. Most of the big 2027 events have not published their dates yet.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Turkey from the end of October 2026 to the end of 2027, in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. We checked every date on the organiser's own website. Where a date isn't published yet, we say so, and we mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only).
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

🔗 Add an awesome event

Best Startup Events in Turkey 2026–2027: Calendar from October 2026 to October 2027

DatesEventWhereTypeStatus
31 Oct 2026DevFest'26 AnkaraAnkaraDeveloper conference (free)Confirmed
11–12 Nov 2026Türkiye AI SummitIstanbul and onlineAI conferenceConfirmed
16–22 Nov 2026Global Entrepreneurship Week TürkiyeNationwideEntrepreneurship weekExpected (programme not out)
1 Dec 2026Arya & Akbank programme closingIstanbulWomen founders, investment readinessConfirmed
5 Dec 2026DevFest İzmirIzmirDeveloper conferenceConfirmed
9 Dec 2026Webrazzi FintechIstanbulFintech conferenceConfirmed
Dec 2026HASAT2026IstanbulStartup competitionAnnounced (no date)
19 Dec 2026DevFest IstanbulIstanbulDeveloper conferenceConfirmed
23 Dec 2026Big Bang Startup ChallengeIstanbulStartup demo day (free)Confirmed
Jun 2027Istanbul Blockchain WeekIstanbulBlockchain conferenceExpected
Oct 2027Istanbul Fintech WeekIstanbulFintech weekExpected
Oct 2027Webrazzi SummitIstanbulTech and startup conferenceExpected

November and December 2026

DevFest'26 Ankara: 31 October 2026

📅 DevFest'26 AnkaraConfirmed
DatesSaturday 31 October 2026, 10:00–18:00
WhereODTÜ Kültür ve Kongre Merkezi, METU campus, Çankaya, Ankara
TypeDeveloper conference
Who it's forDevelopers, students and technical founders
TicketsFree; registration required
Official sitegdg.community.dev
Run by GDG Ankara with the GDG on Campus group at METU. It is a free day out for the capital's developer community, and the first of three DevFests in this guide.

Türkiye AI Summit, Istanbul: 11–12 November 2026

📅 Türkiye Yapay Zeka Zirvesi 2026 (Türkiye AI Summit)Confirmed
Dates11–12 November 2026 (11 November in person, 12 November online)
WhereWyndham Grand İstanbul Levent, and online
TypeAI conference
Who it's forFounders selling AI to companies, and corporate AI teams
TicketsPrice not published
Official sitezirve.turkiye.ai
Run by TRAI, the Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Initiative. Go to meet the companies that buy AI in Turkey. See our AI events list for the rest of Europe.

Arya & Akbank programme closing, Istanbul: 1 December 2026

📅 Arya & Akbank Yatırıma Hazırlık Programı: closing eventConfirmed
DatesTuesday 1 December 2026
WhereAkbank Kampüs – Sabancı Center, Konaklar, Beşiktaş, Istanbul
TypeClosing event of an investment-readiness programme
Who it's forWomen founders preparing to raise
TicketsAccess and price not published
Official sitearyawomen.com
Arya Women is an investment platform focused on women founders and investors; it ran this investment-readiness programme with Akbank. Check its events page for how to attend.

DevFest İzmir: 5 December 2026

📅 DevFest İzmir 2026Confirmed
DatesSaturday 5 December 2026, 8:15–18:30
WhereCME Tepekule Congress, Exhibition and Business Center, Anadolu Caddesi No:40, Bayraklı, Izmir
TypeDeveloper conference
Who it's forDevelopers, students and technical founders
TicketsEarly-bird tickets on Kommunity; price not published
Official sitegdg.community.dev
GDG Izmir expects 2,500 people, so it is a good place to meet Izmir's tech community in one day.

Webrazzi Fintech, Istanbul: 9 December 2026

📅 Webrazzi Fintech 2026Confirmed
DatesWednesday 9 December 2026
WhereWyndham Grand İstanbul Levent Hotel & Conference Center
TypeFintech conference
Who it's forFintech founders, banks and payment companies
TicketsEarly registration ₺45,000 + VAT, or ₺40,500 + VAT each for groups of 3+; no end date published
Official sitewebrazzi.com
Webrazzi is a Turkish tech news site, and its fintech conference brings banks, payment companies and fintech startups into one room. See our fintech events list for more.

DevFest Istanbul: 19 December 2026

📅 DevFest Istanbul 2026Confirmed
DatesSaturday 19 December 2026
WhereWyndham Grand İstanbul Levent
TypeDeveloper conference
Who it's forDevelopers and technical founders
TicketsPrice not published
Official sitedevfest.istanbul
GDG Istanbul's yearly conference. A good place to hire engineers in Istanbul.

Big Bang Startup Challenge, Istanbul: 23 December 2026

📅 Big Bang Startup Challenge 2026Confirmed
DatesWednesday 23 December 2026, from 9:00
WhereZorlu PSM, Istanbul
TypeStartup demo day and pitch event
Who it's forFounders, investors and corporates
TicketsFree; in person only
Official sitebigbang.itucekirdek.com
Run by İTÜ Çekirdek, the startup centre of Istanbul Technical University, this is one of Turkey's best-known startup stages. Its startups pitch for awards and investment in front of investors and corporates. For more stages, see our pitch competitions list.

Dates not announced yet

  • Global Entrepreneurship Week runs worldwide on 16–22 November 2026. GEN Türkiye, run by the Habitat Association, hosts it in Turkey; no Turkish programme is published yet. genglobal.org
  • HASAT2026, Teknopark İstanbul: a startup competition with a 100 million TL investment and support pool. Applications closed on 7 October; the final is planned for December, with no exact date yet. teknoparkistanbul.com.tr
  • Webrazzi Summit: Turkey's big tech and startup conference was last held on 21 October 2026; the 2027 date is not out. webrazzi.com
  • Istanbul Fintech Week: last held on 5–7 October 2026. istanbulfintechweek.com
  • Istanbul Blockchain Week: last held on 2–3 June 2026. istanbulblockchainweek.com
  • TEKNOFEST: Turkey's aerospace and technology festival, with technology competitions, was held in Şanlıurfa in 2026; the 2027 host city and dates are not announced. teknofest.org
We found no dated startup event for 2027 in Antalya, Bursa, Eskişehir or Kocaeli yet.

Recurring meetups and communities

  • GDG Istanbul, GDG Ankara and GDG Izmir: Google developer groups with events through the year. GDG Istanbul
  • Startups.watch: Turkey's startup data platform runs regular founder and investor meetups, such as its Ankara series (1 April and 1 October 2026). startups.watch
  • İTÜ Çekirdek: the incubator behind Big Bang runs programmes and events at İTÜ ARI Teknokent. itucekirdek.com
  • TRAI: the AI initiative also runs meetups and a startup day. turkiye.ai
  • Startup Grind Istanbul: its chapter page lists 2026 events up to May, with none upcoming. startupgrind.com
  • Inactive: Startup Istanbul, once a big investor conference, says on its site that no new events have been organised in recent years.

Events for women founders in Turkey

  • Arya Women: the investment platform for women founders and investors; its programme with Akbank closes on 1 December 2026 (see above). aryawomen.com
  • Türkiye'nin Kadın Girişimcisi Yarışması (Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur competition): the 20th edition, by Garanti BBVA, KAGİDER and Ekonomist, shares 3 million TL across five categories. Press reports give different deadlines (15 November and 30 November 2026), so apply by 15 November to be safe. garantibbvakadingirisimci.com
  • KAGİDER, the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey: runs events such as a meeting between women founders and corporate buyers (last held on 21 October 2026). kagider.org
Read our guide to funding for female entrepreneurs and the female entrepreneurship and women in tech events lists. If you organise an event for women founders in Turkey, send it to us and we'll add it.

Funding and support to know before you go

  • TÜBİTAK BiGG: the national programme for new tech founders invests 1,350,000 TL for a 3% stake, with follow-on investment possible. tubitak.gov.tr
  • KOSGEB Entrepreneur Support Programme (renewed 12 October 2026): business development support of up to 2.25 million TL at an 80% rate, repayable and interest-free; women and young founders get 250,000 TL more. kosgeb.gov.tr
  • Technology development zones (teknokent): software, design and R&D income earned in a zone is exempt from income and corporate tax until 31 December 2028 (Law 4691).
  • Türkiye Tech Visa: launched in 2024 for tech founders and talent, with a three-year work permit. Check the official portal for current intake before you plan around it. invest.gov.tr Compare other countries in our guide to startup visas in Europe.

How to get the most out of Turkey startup events

  1. Plan a December week in Istanbul. Webrazzi Fintech (9 December), DevFest Istanbul (19 December) and Big Bang (23 December) fall within two weeks.
  2. Start free. DevFest Ankara and Big Bang cost nothing, and Big Bang puts you in a room with investors and corporates.
  3. Budget for the big conferences. Webrazzi Fintech's early registration is ₺45,000 + VAT; ask about group prices if your team goes.
  4. Women founders: apply early. Enter Türkiye'nin Kadın Girişimcisi Yarışması by 15 November and follow Arya's programmes. More stages are in our fundraising events list.
  5. Combine it with a regional trip. See our guide to startup events in Cyprus, the Dubai city guide and our guide to startup events in Europe.

List your event in this guide

Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Turkey? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

🔗 Add an awesome event

Startup events in other countries

FAQ

What is the biggest startup event in Turkey?

One of the best known is İTÜ Çekirdek's Big Bang Startup Challenge, next held on 23 December 2026 at Zorlu PSM in Istanbul. It is free and in person.

Where can I meet investors in Turkey?

At Big Bang (23 December 2026), at Arya Women's programmes for women founders and at Startups.watch meetups. Webrazzi Summit's 2027 date is not out yet.

Are there free startup events in Turkey?

Yes: DevFest'26 Ankara (31 October 2026) and the Big Bang Startup Challenge (23 December 2026) are free.

Are there events for women founders in Turkey?

Yes. The Arya & Akbank investment-readiness programme closes on 1 December 2026 in Istanbul, and Türkiye'nin Kadın Girişimcisi Yarışması takes applications until mid or late November 2026.

When is Webrazzi Fintech 2026?

9 December 2026 at Wyndham Grand İstanbul Levent. Early registration costs ₺45,000 + VAT.

Can foreign founders work in Turkey's startup scene?

The Türkiye Tech Visa, launched in 2024, gives selected tech founders and talent a three-year work permit. Read more in our guide to startup visas in Europe.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-10-30 10:27 By country