Venture capital investors eye further growth in Turkey despite turbulence

Despite political turbulence and security worries, Turkey remains an attractive market for venture capital investors thanks to its prime location, its young, educated workforce, and the depth of Turkish entrepreneurship, according to seasoned market-watchers.

"Venture capital investments in Turkey are still immature but have still been attractive, with the increased interest of international angel investor networks and the activity of domestic investors," Demet Özdemir, the Ernst & Young Turkey corporate finance company partner and growth markets leader in the area of EMEIA, told state-run Anadolu Agency on Jan. 10.

Although venture capital investments in the country are lagging compared to developed economies, Turkey is a "very promising market" for investments with a medium- to long-term perspective, said Özdemir, particularly pointing to the technology and healthcare sectors as being more attractive for venture capital funds in Turkey.        

In recent years, with a rising number of tech centers and incubation centers established especially at universities, Turkey has developed an entrepreneurship ecosystem for enabling the country's competitive position, she noted.        

The country has many startup companies with innovative ideas but often no financial institution they can turn to for the funds needed to get their businesses up and running.      
  
Private investors can also take part in financing new startup companies to help them prove themselves and the profitability of their business ideas.        

According to Startups.Watch, Turkey's first digital enterprise and investment analysis platform, the number of capital investments in Turkey made by CVCs (corporate venture capital, corporations making...