GEAR UP

Corporate Venture Capitalgearup.tr

Company typePrivate
Founded2025
HeadquartersIstanbul, Türkiye
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

GEAR UP firmographics

Firmographics

Name: GEAR UP
Legal name: GearUp Corporate Startup Center
Website: https://gearup.tr
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2025
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

GEAR UP industry classification

Industry

Product category: Corporate Venture Capital
akta.pro primary industry: Captive CVC Fund (Dedicated corporate fund structure) (FSANAHAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

Venture capital funding
Corporate venture capital
Startup investment program
Early-stage investment
Deep tech startups

Where GEAR UP is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Istanbul
HQ country: Türkiye
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GEAR UP business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Corporate Venture Capital Investment Returns: GearUp allocates capital to early-stage startups from a dedicated $5 million fund over 5 years and seeks returns through equity appreciation, exits, and follow-on investments. Returns are tied to portfolio company performance rather than recurring fees.
Co-Investment Syndication: GearUp brings in external investors alongside its own capital into portfolio companies. The Yatırımcı Ol page shows investor budget tiers (50k-250k USD, 250k-1M USD, 1M+ USD) indicating ability to syndicate rounds with outside LPs/co-investors.
Ecosystem & Program Partnership Value: While not a direct revenue stream, GearUp gains reputational and deal-flow value from co-hosting ecosystem events such as the GEV Future Summit and B2B speed networking sessions with Inveo Ventures and startups.watch.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

GEAR UP product offering

Product offering

Core offering

GearUp is a corporate venture capital and startup investment program under Gedik Holding that deploys a USD 5 million, 5-year fund into early-stage startups operating in deep tech, AI, industrial technologies, semiconductors, robotics, and education technology. It combines capital deployment with a 5-stage investment process, an entrepreneur accelerator program, a co-investor network, and an ecosystem news portal, taking minority equity stakes and syndicating rounds with outside strategic investors.

Product overview

GearUp operates as a single corporate-startup-center platform combining several integrated offerings under Gedik Holding: the GearUp Fund as the core early-stage USD 5M investment vehicle, the GearUp Girişimci (Entrepreneur) Program as the accelerator that feeds startups into the fund, the GearUp Yatırımcı (Investor) Network that brings co-investors into the same deal flow, and the GearUp Haberler content platform that provides ecosystem news and analysis. The portfolio showcase (GearUp'lılar) surfaces backed companies such as Corezzle Electronics and Intechne Teknoloji, while the Biz Kimiz (About) section frames the corporate and investment-committee identity behind the platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

GearUp Corporate Startup Center: The corporate entity and platform name used in the website footer copyright, representing GearUp's formal identity as Gedik Holding's corporate startup and venture investment program.

Products and services

GearUp Fund (GearUp Fonu) A USD 5 million, 5-year early-stage venture vehicle that invests in industrial technologies, robotics, AI, semiconductors, and industrial deep-tech startups, providing portfolio companies with capital plus Gedik Holding's industrial network, mentorship, and follow-on funding opportunities.
GearUp Girişimci Programı (Entrepreneur Program) An entrepreneur onboarding and accelerator program that admits early-stage startups, supporting them with mentorship, idea development, business-model design, networking, industrial connections from Gedik Holding, and conditions for additional follow-on investment.
GearUp Yatırımcı Ağı (Investor Network) A strategic co-investor onboarding program that brings outside investors into the GearUp ecosystem alongside Gedik Holding's industrial, engineering, and education resources, offering exposure to deep tech, AI, industrial tech, semiconductor, and EdTech deals.

Quantifiable outcome

48-hour application response time commitment for evaluation requests
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use GEAR UP

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

GEAR UP technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

GEAR UP partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, supporting and minor.

Gedik HoldingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGedik Holding is the parent/incubator of GearUp, providing the industrial, engineering, and educational heritage (founded 1963, with Gedik Kaynak) that underpins GearUp's investment thesis. Holding provides portfolio companies with capital, mentorship, industry experience, corporate network, and strategic collaboration opportunities. GearUp extends this legacy into technology and new-generation ventures.
Inveo VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the Girişimci & Yatırımcı B2B Buluşmaları (speed networking session) during the 2nd GEV Future Summit on 3 June 2026, hosted by startups.watch. The session directly connected entrepreneurs with investors to generate new collaborations and investment opportunities.
startups.watchsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerServed as the host platform ('startups.watch hosted by') for the Girişimci & Yatırımcı B2B Buluşmaları speed networking event co-organized with Inveo Ventures during the 2nd GEV Future Summit. Provides the matching/networking infrastructure for the event.
Gedik Eğitim Vakfı (Gedik Education Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2nd GEV Gelecek Zirvesi (3 June 2026), the event at which GearUp publicly launched its platform. The Foundation's chair, Hülya Gedik, opened the summit with the announcement of GearUp's launch.
İstanbul Gedik Üniversitesi (Istanbul Gedik University)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2nd GEV Gelecek Zirvesi with Gedik Eğitim Vakfı. Provides the academic/educational dimension to the ecosystem platform.
MEXT Teknoloji MerkeziminorOthersVenue partner for the 2nd GEV Gelecek Zirvesi (3 June 2026), the event where GearUp publicly launched its platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

GEAR UP competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Boğaziçi Ventures: Istanbul-based early-stage VC investing in Turkish technology startups with a university-linked (Boğaziçi University) origination model — directly parallel to GearUp's İstanbul Gedik Üniversitesi tie-in. Comparable on geography, stage, and ecosystem role.
Revo Capital: Turkish VC focused on early-to-growth stage technology investments out of Istanbul. Comparable on geography and stage, with overlap on B2B software and emerging-tech categories.
Inveo Ventures: Turkish early-stage VC that co-hosts ecosystem events with GearUp (Girişimci & Yatırımcı B2B Buluşmaları) and invests in overlapping deep-tech and B2B software categories in Turkey. Directly comparable on geography, stage, and target verticals.
ACT Venture Partners: One of Turkey's longest-running early-stage VC funds, investing in technology startups across B2B, fintech, and deep tech from Istanbul. Closely comparable on stage, geography, and target founder profile.
212 (212 Ventures): Istanbul-based early-stage VC investing across Turkey, the Balkans, and MENA in B2B software and emerging tech. Comparable on stage, geography, and ecosystem positioning — and is even interviewed on GearUp's news portal, indicating direct ecosystem overlap.
OiBVenture Mobilite İnovasyon Fonu: Sector-specific Turkish CVC fund (~$25M target) created by the Uludağ Automotive Industry Exporters' Association to invest in mobility startups. Comparable as a Turkish corporate/industry-backed CVC targeting industrial deep tech, but with a mobility-only thesis.

Broad incumbents

Yıldız Holding Innovation Program: Corporate innovation and open-innovation program of Yıldız Holding, a major Turkish conglomerate running an AI-focused startup call (covered on GearUp's news portal). Comparable as a Turkish conglomerate-led innovation/CVC platform at materially larger scale.
Sabancı Ventures: Corporate venture and innovation arm of Sabancı Holding, one of Turkey's largest industrial conglomerates. Closely parallel to GearUp in being an industrial-conglomerate CVC, but with significantly larger scale and a more diversified portfolio.
Turkcell Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Turkey's largest mobile operator, investing in telecom-adjacent and broader Turkish tech. Comparable as a corporate-led CVC platform in Turkey with a much larger balance sheet, but less focused on industrial deep tech.

Emerging players

Aselsan Ventures: Corporate venture and incubation efforts of Turkey's largest defense electronics company, with growing interest in deep-tech and semiconductor adjacencies. Comparable on deep-tech/semiconductor focus and Turkish ecosystem presence, though rooted in defense rather than industrial diversification.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

GEAR UP financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

GEAR UP leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

GEAR UP subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries2 records

GEAR UP funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

GEAR UP M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about GEAR UP

What does GEAR UP do?

Is GEAR UP a public or private company?

GEAR UP is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was GEAR UP founded?

GEAR UP was founded in 2025. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is GEAR UP based?

GEAR UP is headquartered in Istanbul, Türkiye, in the Europe region.

How does GEAR UP make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate Venture Capital Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are co-Investment Syndication and ecosystem & Program Partnership Value.

Who are GEAR UP's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Boğaziçi Ventures, Revo Capital, Inveo Ventures, ACT Venture Partners, 212 (212 Ventures) and OiBVenture Mobilite İnovasyon Fonu. Broad incumbents are Yıldız Holding Innovation Program, Sabancı Ventures and Turkcell Ventures. Aselsan Ventures is listed as an emerging player.

Does GEAR UP have an API?

No public API is recorded for GEAR UP.

What industry is GEAR UP in?

GEAR UP's product category is Corporate Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAHAB, Captive CVC Fund (Dedicated corporate fund structure), with a secondary code of FSANAHAD, Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs.