MAPPING THE ISTANBUL TECH ECOSYSTEM HOW A SMALL GROUP OF FOUNDERS SCALED AND CREATED THOUSANDS OF JOBS IN ISTANBUL BY SUPPORTING OTHER FOUNDERS. POWERED BY: This research was made possible by funding from the Istanbul Development Agency. AUTHORS: Lili Török, Project Leader at Endeavor Insight (
[email protected] I @lilitorok) ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS: Rhett Morris, Director of Endeavor Insight (
[email protected] I @rhettmorris) ABOUT ENDEAVOR INSIGHT: Endeavor Insight is the research division of Endeavor, a non-profit organization that supports high- impact entrepreneurs across the world. Its work seeks to answer three questions: 1 How do entrepreneurs reach scale at their companies? 2 How do entrepreneurs reach scale in local networks or ecosystems? 3 What can policymakers, philanthropic leaders, investors, support organizations, and other stakeholders do to empower more entrepreneurs to reach scale in their communities? The methodology utilized in this study builds on previous Endeavor Insight research supported by the Argidius Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Omidyar Network, the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as partners in the Global Entrepreneurship Research Network. SPECIAL THANKS: The authors of this report would like to thank their colleagues at Endeavor including Adrián Garcia- Aranyos, Maha AbdelAzim, Leah D. Barto, Penmai Chongtoua, Luisa Fajardo, Patrick Linton, and Linda Rottenberg, as well as the Endeavor Turkey team, especially Aslıhan Kurul Türkmen, Utku Tuncay, Oktay Azbazdar, Orhan Gazi Yalçın, Leyla Unat, Berkan Orta, Alev Ertem, İdil Mayzel, Mehmet Ege Kurt, and Melisa Fakabasmaz Özerdim. A number of research assistants and analysts were also critical to the project’s success, including Tanya Kapoor and Camila Navarrete.