Startups, startups and more startups
No one is discussing the importance of startups any more. It is proved that startups can create more jobs than companies that are “too big to fail,” even in regressing economies. That’s why, throughout the world, leaders are promoting new ideas and encouraging people to fund their own companies.
Turkish leaders cannot really think of anything else but re-election these days. Therefore, startups are not really high on their agendas but the popularity of startup scene is on the rise. Many talented individuals are choosing the more adventurous path. There are many new companies as a result and some of them are playing for global dominance.
The Turkish startup movement does not go unnoticed in international media. In the September issue of Wired magazine, Liat Clarck wrote about Turkish startups in a dossier entitled “Hottest Startups of Europe.”
The list is below:
PRISYNC
Prisync claims it provides the same level of competitor price-tracking that Amazon uses in its verticals.
BITAKSI
Uber recently launched in Istanbul, but BiTaksi has 95 per cent of the local market, a strong supply of drivers and a 24/7 call center.
PARAŞÜT
In 2013, Sean Yu and his team founded Parasüt, a cloud platform for managing finances.
SCORP
Video-messaging app Scorp launched in February 2015, before rivals Meerkat and Periscope.
DÜĞÜN
Along with planning tools, Düğün connects couples with the wedding marketplace – suppliers pay a fee to be represented.
VOLT
Launched in September 2014, ride-sharing app Volt avoids legal issues by keeping costs up to 70 percent cheaper than taxis, which makes the service technically non-commercial.
HAZELCAST
Hazelcast is an in-memory data grid based on Java.
ININAL
In 2013, prepaid card provider Ininal leapt into a market where only half the population has bank accounts or debit cards.
MODANISA
Since being featured in last year’s list, the Islamic fashion e-commerce platform has raised $5.5 million.
INCIR
Incir helps its customers set up an e-commerce platform, but takes care of the back end -- from payment processing to the production of marketing materials.
I totally agree with Wired on the selection. There are a few more that could have made to the list but there is none that I would take out.
Another sign that Turkey is becoming one of “the places” to be if you are a startup is the success of Startup Istanbul 2015. The sheer number of people, ideas and companies that attended the event was very impressive. There were thousands of people from various backgrounds. Among the audience, there were managers of international brands, university students and housewives. All of them gathered to see the next big thing or to create the next big thing.
All in all, this has been a week that restored my faith in the Istanbul startup community. Sooner or later, we will be talking about a startup that went global from Turkey.