280 characters on Twitter Users have been pushing for it and in the end the administration of Twitter could not stand their ground and declared that they are trying to increase the character limit of a tweet from 140 to 280. They announced their decision in a tweet and also posted a blog…

Is there a startups ecosystem in Turkey? If you were to make a location based keyword search using the phrase “startup at Twitter,” Turkey would surprise you. There are so many events happening at the same time every day, you would think you are either in or near Silicon Valley. I did…

Are we obsessed with security? Security has lately become my favorite topic. There are two main reasons to this. The first reason is that we live in very dangerous times, and across the world there is a sense of insecurity wherever you go. From concerts to schools, nowhere seems safe enough.…

Startup Istanbul: The real deal Last week I wrote that no real startup ecosystem exists in Turkey. However, if only one event in Istanbul remains for startups, it should be Startup Istanbul.class="cf"> Startup Istanbul has once again brought together hundreds of people from 65 different countries to Istanbul. Burak and Aslı Büyükdemir have…

Will AI replace creative jobs too? All of our predictions about artificial intelligence have come short in the face of reality. It was only in 2012 scientists claimed AI could never overcome the human mind in complicated tasks, such as playing chess. Never say never. Here we are in 2017 and AI…

Bill Gates and Elon Musk While I was writing this article, it was still not clear if Elon Musk was coming to Turkey or not. Still, social media was buzzing about his planned meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.class="cf"> Naturally, as like any other subject there are two inclinations unique to Turkey. On…

Only one in 100 KMPG announced its Fintech 100 list this week. It reported that the “Fintech100” were selected following extensive global research and analysis based on data relating to five factors. Two of the criteria are related to capital raising, reflecting the emphasis that venture capitalist investors place on the ability…

Only one in 100 KMPG announced its Fintech 100 list this week. It reported that the “Fintech100” were selected following extensive global research and analysis based on data relating to five factors. Two of the criteria are related to capital raising, reflecting the emphasis that venture capitalist investors place on the ability…

Not without a phone Turkey is known to have a tech-savvy young population. We like to use our mobile phones a lot. A new research has underlined that we talk about 441 minutes on average every month on our mobiles, whereas the average in the EU is only 160 minutes. We…

Crowdfunding is maturing in Turkey  Crowdfunding has deep roots in the Turkish culture. Many Turkish entrepreneurs turn to their families and friends who are generous investors. If a friend wants to invest in a business, his/her friends usually chip in. In villages, people share daily works and call it “imece.”class="cf"> That’s why I…