# Startup & founder events in Istanbul

Curated by [foundercal.com](https://foundercal.com/). Only events worth a founder's time: conferences, demo days, founder dinners, meetups and workshops. Generic networking filler is filtered out. Updated daily.

- City page (HTML): https://foundercal.com/cities/istanbul
- Calendar feed (ICS): https://foundercal.com/cities/istanbul.ics
- All cities + usage guide for AI agents: https://foundercal.com/llms.txt

11 upcoming events as of 31 August 2026.

## Istanbul | Claude Code For Beginners Workshop

- Date: Thursday 3 September 2026, 18:30 (Europe/Istanbul)
- Type: Workshop
- Venue: QNBEYOND, Esentepe Mahallesi Eski Büyükdere Caddesi Kristal Kule Binası, Esentepe, B Blok No:215, 34394 Şişli/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Organizer: [Claude Community Events](https://foundercal.com/organizers/claude-community-events)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/istanbul-claude-code-for-beginners-workshop-uurlp2fGgoaiVSH
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/8871?p=md

Yapay zekayı yalnızca sohbet için değil; doğrudan dosyalarınızın üzerinde ve terminalinizde çalışan bir ortak olarak kullanmaya başlayın. Terminal, komut satırı ve GitHub gibi kavramlar dışarıdan bakıldığında karmaşık görünebilir. Ancak Claude Code, yazılım geçmişiniz olmasa bile bu araçları sizin…

## Founders Running Club :: Istanbul

- Date: Saturday 5 September 2026, 07:45 (Europe/Istanbul)
- Type: Meetup
- Venue: KONT Moda, Caferağa, Moda Mektebi Sk. No: 1, 34790 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
- Organizer: [Founders Running Club](https://foundercal.com/organizers/founders-running-club)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/founders-running-club-istanbul-1h5V2sBwIKqCO1a
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/7474?p=md

Let’s lace up for another FRC meetup, a space for like-minded folks interested in startups, entrepreneurship, and running. No registration required, come as you are! This isn’t a pitch session or networking grind. It’s for founders and friends who value real connections over transactions. Whether…

## GITEX AI Türkiye 2026

- Date: 9 September 2026 – 10 September 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Istanbul Expo Centre, Yeşilköy Mah., İstanbul Fuar Merkezi, 34149 Bakırköy/İstanbul
- Organizer: [GITEX](https://foundercal.com/organizers/gitex)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/gitex-ai-turkiye-2026-2026-09-09
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9057?p=md

GITEX brings its Türkiye edition to the Istanbul Expo Centre, and the half that matters to founders is North Star Türkiye: the startup and investor track, with the Supernova pitch competition and an invitation-only investor programme running 1:1 matchmaking across AI, fintech, gaming and deep tech.…

## Gaming Istanbul 2026

- Date: 18 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Istanbul Congress Center, Harbiye, Taşkışla Cd. No:1, 34367 Şişli/İstanbul
- Organizer: [Gaming Istanbul (GIST)](https://foundercal.com/organizers/gaming-istanbul-gist)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/gaming-istanbul-2026-2026-09-18
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9059?p=md

GIST is Türkiye's consumer games show, and the reason for a founder to go is GIST Connect, the B2B conference bolted onto it: around 2,500 industry people, publishers, studios and investors taking meetings while 50,000 players fill the halls. Useful if you make games and want the Turkish market in…

## Istanbul Fintech Week 2026

- Date: 5 October 2026 – 7 October 2026
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Hilton İstanbul Maslak
- Organizer: [Istanbul Fintech Week](https://foundercal.com/organizers/istanbul-fintech-week)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/istanbul-fintech-week-2026-2026-10-05
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9053?p=md

Three days at the Hilton Maslak split into parallel summits on payments, digital banking, digital assets, stablecoins and AI in finance. Türkiye built Papara, iyzico and Param, and the banks, regulators and fintech founders who run that market are in one building for the week. It leans more…

## Mobidictum Conference 2026

- Date: 7 October 2026 – 8 October 2026
- Type: Conference
- Price: €49 – €849
- Venue: Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center, Gümüş Cd. No:4, Harbiye, 34367 Şişli/İstanbul
- Organizer: [Mobidictum](https://foundercal.com/organizers/mobidictum)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/mobidictum-conference-2026-2026-10-07
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9054?p=md

Türkiye produced Peak, Dream Games and Rollic, and this is where that industry does its business. Two days at Lütfi Kırdar with 2,500+ people from 65+ countries: studio founders, publishers, user acquisition and monetization leads, and the funds that back mobile games. The curated 1:1 matchmaking…

## Istanbul Slush'D 2026

- Date: 12 October 2026 – 14 October 2026
- Type: Conference
- Price: €60 – €450
- Venue: Rixos Tersane Istanbul, Camialtı Mah., Tersane Cad., 34445 Beyoğlu/İstanbul
- Organizer: [Istanbul Slush'D](https://foundercal.com/organizers/istanbul-slushd)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/istanbul-slushd-2026-2026-10-12
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9058?p=md

Slush's licensed Istanbul edition, run for founders, investors and operators working across Europe, Asia and MENA. Three days on the Golden Horn with the Slush format: founders on stage, structured investor matchmaking, and a room that mixes Turkish operators with funds flying in from Europe and…

## Webrazzi Summit 2026

- Date: Wednesday 21 October 2026, 09:00 (Europe/Istanbul)
- Type: Conference
- Venue: Wyndham Grand İstanbul Levent Hotel & Conference Center, Esentepe, Büyükdere Cd., 34394 Şişli/İstanbul
- Organizer: [Webrazzi](https://foundercal.com/organizers/webrazzi)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/webrazzi-summit-2026-2026-10-21
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/2951?p=md

Türkiye's biggest and most influential tech and entrepreneurship conference, run by leading Turkish tech publication Webrazzi: the 2026 edition marks its 20th anniversary. Thousands of founders, operators and investors pack a day of simultaneous stages on e-commerce, fintech, AI/ML and growth, with…

## GO! Global Türkiye Summit 2026

- Date: 22 October 2026 – 24 October 2026
- Type: Conference
- Organizer: [TAİK](https://foundercal.com/organizers/taik)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/go-global-turkiye-summit-2026-2026-10-22
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9056?p=md

Three days built around one job: putting Turkish founders in front of international LPs and VCs, mostly American. Run by TAİK, the Turkey-US Business Council, and chaired by Murat Özyeğin, so the room skews senior. Past editions ran closed sessions for selected startups plus working talks from…

## Big Bang Startup Challenge 2026

- Date: 24 November 2026 – 25 November 2026
- Type: Demo Day
- Price: Free
- Venue: Volkswagen Arena, Huzur Mah., Maslak Ayazağa Cd. No:4, 34396 Sarıyer/İstanbul
- Organizer: [İTÜ Çekirdek](https://foundercal.com/organizers/itu-cekirdek)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/big-bang-startup-challenge-2026-2026-11-24
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/9055?p=md

Türkiye's biggest startup night, run by İTÜ Çekirdek, one of the largest university incubators in Europe. Roughly fifty startups survive the elimination rounds and pitch from the Volkswagen Arena stage to a hall of investors, funds and corporate buyers. The 2025 edition closed with more than 1.7…

## Webrazzi Fintech 2026

- Date: Wednesday 9 December 2026, 09:00 (Europe/Istanbul)
- Type: Conference
- Organizer: [Webrazzi](https://foundercal.com/organizers/webrazzi)
- Details: https://foundercal.com/events/webrazzi-fintech-2026-2026-12-09
- Register / official page: https://foundercal.com/out/2950?p=md

Türkiye's leading fintech conference, run by Webrazzi in a market that produced Papara, Param and a fast-maturing payments scene. A focused day on payments, embedded finance, regulation and the AI layer eating fintech, with the founders, bank innovation teams and fintech investors who actually move…