YASAD

What YASAD does

YASAD (Yazılım Sanayicileri Derneği / Software Industry Association of Turkey) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1995 that serves as the collective representative body for Turkey's software industry. Headquartered at Istanbul İhtisas Serbest Bölgesi in Bakırköy, Istanbul, with a regional branch in Izmir, the association operates as a structured platform between the Turkish software industry and government authorities. Its core functions are industry advocacy, policy influence, international promotion of Turkish software brands, and member networking, delivered through working groups, summits (Software Sector and Globalization Summits, Investor Summits), and authoritative publications including the 2022 Turkey Software Companies Catalog and the 2025 Turkish Software Works book documenting 50 years of Turkish software production across 84 companies and 272 products.

YASAD's business model is membership-based, funded by member company dues with no public pricing disclosed; it does not sell a commercial product portfolio. Its "customers" are the Turkish software companies that constitute its membership, and it has begun extending services into adjacent sectors — the Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform (April 2026) supports manufacturing-sector digital and green transformation with EU funding, and the AgrInnovate EDIH project extends digital-maturity services to agricultural SMEs. Governance is provided by a 17th-term Board of Directors elected 15 January 2026, chaired by Mine Taşkaya (representing GTech), with two Vice Presidents, a Treasurer, seven additional board members, and a Supervisory Board, reflecting the association's institutional anchoring across the leading Turkish software firms.

The organization runs no proprietary technology platform and is not a product company; its technology footprint consists of an informational website (yasad.org.tr), event logistics, and publication distribution. Strategic positioning emphasizes the role of software — alongside AI, cloud, and cybersecurity — as a strategic national capability, and YASAD functions as the convening body that channels this positioning into engagements with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Development Agency, Boğaziçi University Foundation, DEİK, and European Union programs.

Name

YASAD

Legal name

Yazılım Sanayicileri Derneği

Website

https://yasad.org.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

YASAD is a Turkish nonprofit industry association founded in 1995 that represents Turkish software companies, advocates for software-sector policy with government, and runs industry publications, summits, and cross-sector digital-transformation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

YASAD is a nonprofit professional industry association representing Turkish software companies. Its core offering is membership-based services to the Turkish software industry, including policy advocacy with government bodies, networking summits and conferences, industry publications (the Turkey Software Companies Catalog and the Turkish Software Works book), and collaborative platforms such as the Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform and the AgrInnovate EDIH project. It does not sell commercial software products or paid subscription services to end users.

Product overview

YASAD (Yazılım Sanayicileri Derneği / Software Industrialists Association of Turkey) is a professional industry association representing Turkish software companies rather than a product company. YASAD does not offer a commercial product portfolio or SaaS platform for end users. The organization provides member services including the Turkish Software Firms Catalog (Türkiye Yazılım Firmaları Kataloğu), industry publications such as the Turkish Software Works book, networking events, summits, and working groups covering topics like digital transformation, sustainability, and women in technology. YASAD facilitates collaboration among member companies and engages with government bodies on software industry policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Türk Yazılım Eserleri: A publication documenting Turkish software works and the 50-year history of the Turkish software industry
• Türkiye Yazılım Firmaları Kataloğu

Products and services

• YASAD Membership Annual membership in Turkey's premier software industry trade association, available to Turkish software companies. Provides policy advocacy, networking events, sector reports, member directory listing, and access to working groups and summits.
• Türkiye Yazılım Firmaları Kataloğu (Turkey Software Companies Catalog) Bilingual (Turkish/English) print and online catalog documenting Turkish software companies and their products; serves as a reference for international promotion of the Turkish software sector.
• Türk Yazılım Eserleri (Turkish Software Works) Book Print publication documenting 50 years of Turkish software production, profiling 84 companies and 272 software products with their origin, development, and growth stories. Produced with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
• Software Sector and Globalization Summit Flagship industry summit series convening Turkish software companies around internationalization, partnerships, and global market access. Held in Turkey with member and non-member participation.
• Software Sector Investor Summit Industry-investor summit connecting Turkish software companies with capital providers, organized by YASAD.
• Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform Co-founded program by YASAD with Istanbul Development Agency, Boğaziçi University Foundation, and DEİK, EU-funded, providing digital and green (twin) transformation support to Istanbul-based manufacturing companies.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Istanbul Development Agency (İstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Co-founder of the Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform, co-implemented with Istanbul Development Agency support. The platform supports digital and green transformation of Istanbul's manufacturing sector.
• Boğaziçi University FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Lead executor (yürütücü) of the Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform. Boğaziçi University serves as the implementing organization for this strategic initiative focused on manufacturing sector transformation.
• DEİK (Foreign Economic Relations Board)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Partner in the Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform, contributing to foreign economic relations and international business connections for the Turkish software and manufacturing sectors.
• European UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Funding source for the Istanbul Twin Transformation Platform through European Union funds. Supports digital and green transformation initiatives in Istanbul's manufacturing sector.
• Ministry of Industry and Technology (Sanayi ve Teknoloji Bakanlığı)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2025YASAD leadership meetings with Ministry officials to discuss policies for advancing the Turkish software sector, positioning it as a strategic force in national economic development.
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism - General Directorate of CopyrightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYASAD collaborated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism General Directorate of Copyright to produce the first-ever Turkish Software Works publication, documenting 84 software companies and 272 software products representing 50 years of Turkish software production.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NASSCOM: India's foremost trade body for the IT and BPM industry, representing thousands of member companies and driving policy advocacy, skilling, and globalization. Directly comparable to YASAD as a national IT industry association with member services, international promotion, and government liaison roles.
• bitkom: Germany's leading digital industry trade association representing over 2,000 member companies in software, IT, and digital services. Highly comparable to YASAD as a national software/digital industry trade body with strong policy engagement and digital transformation programs.
• techUK: UK trade association representing over 1,000 technology companies across software, IT services, and digital sectors. Comparable to YASAD as a national membership-based industry body advocating for the technology sector with government and regulators.
• Japan Information Technology Services Industry Association (JISA): Japan's principal IT services industry association representing IT vendor and software firms. Closely comparable to YASAD as a national IT/software trade body engaged in policy advocacy, market intelligence, and industry promotion.
• Korea Software Industry Association (KOSA): Korean national trade association representing software companies, focused on industry policy, international cooperation, and software quality certification. Comparable to YASAD as a national software-specific industry body with government liaison and certification programs.

Regional players

• DigitalEurope: Pan-European trade association representing the digital technology industry across multiple EU member states. Comparable to YASAD in its digital policy advocacy role, though operating at EU-wide scope rather than within a single country.

Broad incumbents

• BSA | The Software Alliance: Global software industry advocacy organization focused on policy, IP protection, and software asset management. Comparable to YASAD in its policy and software-industry advocacy function, though operating globally and primarily representing large enterprise software vendors.
• ASOCIO: Asia-Oceania regional federation of ICT industry associations. Comparable to YASAD at a meta level as a software/IT industry association network, providing cross-border policy and trade promotion for member associations across the region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_yasad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about YASAD