Strategic Investment in Game Entrepreneurship from Entertech İstanbul Teknokent: Maslak Entrepreneurship Office and StartGate TEKMER Opened

In cooperation with Entertech İstanbul Teknokent and StartGate, the Maslak Entrepreneurship Office and StartGate TEKMER, established for game startups, were officially opened in the heart of Maslak. The opening ceremony, held on April 14, 2026, took place with the attendance of Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye.

Located in a central area such as Maslak, the new entrepreneurship office aims to increase high value-added production and strengthen global competitiveness, with a particular focus on entrepreneurs operating in the field of game technologies. Standing out with its strategic location and specialized approach, the center has been designed to support entrepreneurs throughout their entire journey, from the idea stage to the investment process.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır drew attention to the transformative power of the gaming sector within the entrepreneurship ecosystem and stated:

“Today, in the gaming sector, we witness technology startups founded by a few young people, still at the very beginning of their journey, reaching billion-dollar valuations. The fact that Türkiye’s first Turcorns emerged from this field, and that more than 70 new technology startups were born out of these success stories, clearly demonstrates the strategic importance of this sector. For this reason, we are resolutely implementing steps that will support the growth journeys of startups, particularly through TEKMER and Entrepreneurship Office structures.”

Prof. Dr. Osman Bülent Zülfikar, Rector of Istanbul University and Chairman of the Board of Entertech, emphasized the changing role of universities and said:

“Today, the role of universities is not limited merely to producing knowledge; ensuring that the knowledge produced is transformed into economic value is also among our fundamental responsibilities. By bringing academic expertise together with the entrepreneurship ecosystem, Entertech stands as a strong representative of this transformation. The Maslak Entrepreneurship Office is the concrete reflection of this vision in the field.”

Prof. Dr. Nuri Aydın, Rector of Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Entertech, emphasized Entertech’s international positioning and stated:

“We position Entertech not merely as a local teknokent, but as the natural global extension of our universities. Together with our offices in Amsterdam and London, we facilitate our entrepreneurs’ access to international markets and enable them to become active participants in global competition. With the Entrepreneurship Office we have launched in Maslak, we offer our young people an innovative and sustainable environment where they can reveal their potential and elevate their startups to a level where they can compete internationally.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammed Kasapoğlu, General Manager of Entertech İstanbul Teknokent, emphasized that the center was designed not merely as an office, but as a scale-up-oriented structure, and made the following remarks:

“The knowledge accumulated over more than 500 years by Istanbul University and Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa is being transformed through Entertech into economic contribution, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Today, the Entertech ecosystem has reached a capacity that generates 300 million dollars in exports and 60 million TL in turnover.”

“We are advancing with three main areas of focus in order to build a strong ecosystem in the field of game technologies. First, through the Türkiye Game Cluster, we bring startups together under the same roof. The Maslak Entrepreneurship Office we are opening today serves as the field-level showcase of this structure. Second, through the Entertech Venture Capital Investment Fund, we strengthen startups’ access to financing. Third, through our focus on internationalization, we carry our startups into global markets.”

The Entertech Maslak Entrepreneurship Office aims to strengthen Türkiye’s technology-driven entrepreneurship capacity by offering comprehensive support to startups operating primarily in game technologies and the creative industries, particularly in the areas of mentorship, investor access, business development, and internationalization.