Turkish firms make splash at Europe’s largest tech festival in London

By Arife Yildiz Unal and Sultan Cogalan

LONDON (AA) - Some 20 Turkish firms and around 400 Turkish participants made a splash this week at the London Tech Week 2024 event, Europe's largest event of its kind.

The firms came together at the Türkiye Pavilion, under the leadership of Yildiz Technopark of Istanbul’s Yildiz Technical University (YTU), in collaboration with Academia Park London-Base Hub.

Orhan Tanisman, the general manager of YTU Yildiz Teknopark, told Anadolu that this year featured the debut of the Türkiye Pavilion, and that this year’s event, which wraps up on Friday, has been the largest ever, both physically and in terms of the number of people participating.

Tanisman said the technopark’s aim is to bring Turkish digital talents to the world, providing consultancy to companies to help them be more effective in the global market.

He said the Türkiye Pavilion attracted the attention of participants from all over the world, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malta, France, Italy, and Japan.

“We wanted to introduce our youth’s digital talents to the world as we aim to build a bridge between Turkish and foreign firms,” he said.

He added that London is one of the world’s top technology centers where one can attract investors, as the Türkiye Pavilion did at the event.

Russ Shaw, one of the founders of the event, said that this year’s London Tech Week boasted 50,000 visitors from more than 140 countries, with an aim to have an even bigger event next year.

Janet Coyle, Grow London managing director at London & Partners, said Türkiye boasted the biggest country booth this year, adding that Turkish companies investing in London carry great importance, as it is a multicultural and inclusive hub of opportunities, specifically for Turkish startups.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul