TT Ventures

What TT Ventures does

TT Ventures is the corporate venture capital subsidiary of Türk Telekom, Turkey's leading telecommunications operator, operating an integrated four-pillar entrepreneurship ecosystem from Istanbul. Founded in 2018 to scale up the PİLOT acceleration program that Türk Telekom had launched in 2013, the firm serves technology startups across seed and Series A+ stages. Its portfolio of 131 startups spans EdTech, Marketing Technology, Energy Tech, Healthcare Tech, E-commerce Analytics, and Deep Tech, with companies including MentalUP (15M+ users across 120+ countries), Mindsite, B2Metric, Segmentify, Virasoft, Syntonym, Eltemtek, and Earnado.

The company's core product is the PİLOT acceleration program, a 12-week intensive that provides up to $30,000 in cash investment per startup in exchange for equity or program participation, access to a network of 450+ mentors, technology infrastructure, and a complementary USA program for graduates. In September 2022, TT Ventures expanded downstream by establishing the TT Ventures Girişım Sermayesi Yatırım Fonu (GSYF), an independent venture capital fund managed by İstanbul Portfüy Yönetimi A.Ş. that targets Series A and later-stage startups with sustainable, technology-focused, and globally scalable businesses. Two additional pillars — Girişımcilik Ofisleri co-working spaces at Tahtakale Santral and AKM, and an İş Birliği (Business Collaboration) program connecting startups with Türk Telekom group companies — round out the ecosystem.

TT Ventures operates primarily as a strategic corporate venture arm rather than a financial-return-driven fund. Its revenue mechanics are not externally disclosed, but its investment activity — $3.2M deployed across PİLOT graduates, $58M in follow-on capital raised by 78 graduates, and portfolio value exceeding $600M — indicates modest check sizes at seed and follow-on participation at growth stages. The supporting partner roster (NVIDIA, AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft for Startups, Huawei, HubSpot, Yandex Maps API, Enterprise Europe Network) provides in-kind cloud, marketing, and infrastructure resources to portfolio companies. The firm employs 11-50 people, is governed by a four-member investment committee, and is wholly owned by Türk Telekomünikasyon A.Ş.

Name

TT Ventures

Legal name

TT Ventures Proje Geliştirme Anonim Şirketi

Website

https://ttventures.com.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TT Ventures is Türk Telekom's corporate venture capital subsidiary, operating a four-pillar Istanbul-based ecosystem for technology startups: the PİLOT acceleration program, the GSYF Series A+ fund, co-working offices, and a Türk Telekom business collaboration program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Financial Vehicles (52599), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Corporate Innovation & Technology Scouting Units (with investment mandate) (FSANAHAI)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Startup acceleration program
• Corporate venture capital
• Seed stage investment
• Co-working spaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Investment Capital, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Acceleration Program Investments: Provides investment to early-stage startups through the PİLOT program, with up to $30,000 investment per startup, in exchange for equity or program participation
2. Series A+ Investments: Direct investments in growth-stage startups through the TT Ventures Girişim Sermayesi Yatırım Fonu, targeting Series A and later stage companies with sustainable, technology-focused, and globally scalable products and services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TT Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Türk Telekom, operating an entrepreneurship ecosystem that combines a 12-week startup acceleration program (PİLOT) providing up to $30,000 in funding per startup alongside mentorship from 450+ experts, a Series A and later-stage venture capital fund (TT Ventures Girişim Sermayesi Yatırım Fonu), physical co-working offices for entrepreneurs in Istanbul, and a business collaboration program connecting startups with Türk Telekom Group companies for partnership and distribution opportunities.

Product overview

TT Ventures is the venture capital arm of Türk Telekom offering a comprehensive entrepreneurship ecosystem consisting of four main offerings: (1) PİLOT, an early-stage acceleration program providing 12-week intensive development, mentorship from 450+ mentors, and investment opportunities of up to $30,000; (2) TT Ventures Girişim Sermayesi Yatırım Fonu (GSYF), a Series A+ venture capital fund established in 2022 focusing on sustainable, technology-focused startups; (3) Girişimcilik Ofisleri, co-working spaces in Istanbul at Tahtakale Santral and AKM locations; and (4) İş Birliği, a business collaboration program connecting startups with Türk Telekom Group for product and service partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PİLOT: TT Ventures' startup acceleration program providing cash funding, access to Türk Telekom's business network, over 450 mentors, and a 12-week intensive development program.

Products and services

• PİLOT Acceleration Program
• TT Ventures Girişim Sermayesi Yatırım Fonu (GSYF)
• Girişimcilik Ofisleri (Entrepreneurship Offices)
• İş Birliği (Business Collaboration)

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.2 million invested across 131 startups
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• MentalUPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentalUP collaboration with Türk Telekom marketing team to offer MentalUP products to specific internet customers in 2020
• B2MetricminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint data analytics project development with B2Metric marketing and programmatic teams in 2022
• TechsignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Techsign to develop automated KYC processes using their technology with Türk Telekom Payment in 2023
• VirasoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint proposal preparation with Virasoft for corporate sales opportunities in 2021
• NVIDIAsupportingOthersSupporting company for PİLOT acceleration program providing technology support and resources
• AWSsupportingOthersAmazon Web Services providing cloud services to PİLOT program participants
• Microsoft for StartupssupportingOthersMicrosoft for Startups program supporting PİLOT acceleration program participants
• HuaweisupportingOthersHuawei supporting PİLOT acceleration program
• HubSpotsupportingOthersHubSpot supporting PİLOT acceleration program with marketing tools
• Yandex Maps APIsupportingOthersYandex Maps API supporting PİLOT acceleration program
• Enterprise Europe NetworksupportingOthersEnterprise Europe Network supporting PİLOT acceleration program
• Google CloudsupportingOthersGoogle Cloud supporting PİLOT acceleration program with cloud services
• ParasutsupportingOthersParasut supporting PİLOT acceleration program
• ŞüflesupportingOthersŞüfle supporting PİLOT acceleration program
• KolayiksupportingOthersKolayik supporting PİLOT acceleration program with HR solutions
• SendGBsupportingOthersSendGB supporting PİLOT acceleration program
• TT Veri MerkezisupportingOthersTT Veri Merkezi (Türk Telekom Data Center) supporting PİLOT acceleration program

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's global corporate venture capital and accelerator arm. Most directly comparable to TT Ventures as both are telecom CVCs running multi-country accelerator programs with corporate distribution advantages.
• Orange Ventures: The CVC arm of Orange (formerly France Télécom). Comparable as a telecom operator's venture arm investing in early- and growth-stage startups with strategic alignment to the parent's network and services.
• Turkcell GSYF: Venture capital investment fund of Turkcell, Turkey's other major telecom operator. Direct domestic competitor to TT Ventures GSYF targeting growth-stage Turkish technology startups.
• Vestel Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Vestel, a major Turkish electronics manufacturer. Co-invested alongside TT Ventures in startups like Mindsite and competes for the same Turkish tech deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• Comcast Ventures: CVC arm of Comcast, a US telecom/media conglomerate. Comparable in operating model (corporate-backed multi-stage tech investor) but at materially larger scale and broader geographic mandate.
• Samsung NEXT: CVC and innovation arm of Samsung, investing globally in AI, IoT, and frontier tech. Comparable as a large corporate-led venture platform with both fund and accelerator components.
• Techstars: Global accelerator operator with 12-week cohort programs, mentor networks, and Demo Days. Comparable as an accelerator model; differs in lacking a single dominant corporate parent's distribution channel.

Regional players

• Yıldız Tekno Girişim Sermayesi Yatırım Ortaklığı: Turkish venture capital investment trust affiliated with Yıldız Holding. Co-investor with TT Ventures in Turkish startups and a regional peer in the Turkish growth-stage tech investing landscape.
• TTGV (Technology Development Foundation of Turkey): Turkish technology-focused development foundation that co-invested with TT Ventures in startups like Mindsite. Comparable as a Turkey-based tech investor, though structured as a foundation rather than a corporate VC.

Others

• Keiretsu Forum: Global angel investor network with active Turkey/MENA chapters. Adjacent peer in the early-stage Turkish ecosystem, providing angel capital and syndication that often complements accelerator programs like PİLOT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TTVentures
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLIBfchfOySzy_-9ckq3to0CaIh02zkQRB
• Facebookfacebook.com/pilotgirisim
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/t%C3%BCrk-telekom-ventures/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/turktelekomventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments67 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TT Ventures