Google’s tools are helping Turkish businesses find new customers
For businesses large and small, Google’s tools are vital to reach new customers and grow their business.
What impacts, if any, has Google Ads had on your business?
of businesses strongly agree that Google’s products have helped them promote their products or services to a broader consumer audience
Globally, Google Search and Ads are helping support ₺27 billion in exports for Turkish businesses
For businesses, Google’s AI-powered advertising tools have unlocked a new world of possibilities. They are helping Türkiye’s businesses identify new audiences, build their brands both at home and abroad, and stay competitive. In total, we estimate that Google Search, Ads, AdSense and other publisher products are supporting ₺27 billion (US $820 million) in exports from Türkiye in 2024.
of businesses said online search was an important way that international customers found them.
Every ₺1 invested in Google Ads yields ₺1.7 in exports.
Google’s free tools like Maps, Business Profile and Shopping make local business more discoverable
The majority of the value Google’s services create for businesses comes through their free platforms such as Search, Maps, Shopping or Business Profile rather than paid advertising – helping provide organic growth to local businesses.
In 2024, Google Maps and Business Profile provided ₺55 billion (US $1.7 billion) of economic activity.
of people in Türkiye regularly use Google Maps to find a local business.
of people in Türkiye regularly use Google Search or Shopping to find a local business.
Google Android sits at heart of a thriving mobile economy of developers, OEMs, providers and retailers
Google Android is generating significant value for the Turkish economy: saving money for OEMs and telecoms providers, enabling mobile commerce and the wider mobile economy, and allowing a growing number of developers to reach customers worldwide.
In total, we estimate that the wider mobile economy supported by the Android ecosystem have generated ₺750 billion (US $23 billion) in economic activity.
Through supporting activity in digital media, e-commerce, gig economy, mobile network activity and smartphone sales, the wider ecosystem enabled by Google Play and Android has enabled the creation of over 3 million direct, indirect, and spillover jobs.
Google’s Android Partnerships
Partnerships with leading Turkish companies show how Google’s products are integrated into daily life, from devices to payments.
“Our partnership with Google has brought cutting-edge technology and seamless experiences directly to Turkish consumers, significantly enriching their lives. This collaboration has not only driven innovation in the mobile industry but also substantially contributed to Türkiye’s digital economy. Together, we are committed to empowering users and advancing technology across the nation.”
Mert Sarıkulak
Head of Digital Product Strategy
Samsung Türkiye
İbrahim Ersoy
General Manager
E-money & Payment Services
Vodafone Mobile Payment
Türkiye has evolved into a globally competitive startup hub, with its growth being driven by global tech leaders working with local ecosystem builders. Since 2017, Google’s accelerator journey in Türkiye has evolved from Launchpad (five-day mentorship) to Google for Startups Accelerator (12-week program), connecting founders with people, products, and best practices.
Türkiye’s model has moved from one-off programs to deeper accelerators with local partners. Over the last eight years, four accelerator programs have been supported, executing 14 cohorts and graduating 145 startups.
Erdem Lafçı (APPS):
APPS was founded in 2014 out of the Google Developer Group (GDG) Ankara, and hit its first big milestone in 2017 with 10M+ downloads. After graduating from the Google Indie Games Accelerator in 2019, the team of more than 40 has scaled to reach hundreds of millions of users worldwide. building games that blend engineering, creativity and social impact. This has put APPS on track to unicorn status.
Highlights:
- Glocalzone secured €2.15M supporting its expansion into international markets.
- VenueX raised a $1.2M bridge to expand its AI platform into the MENA region.
- Madlen.io raised $800K to advance its mission of democratizing quality education.
- International visibility: 12 Turkish startups selected to Google for Startups Accelerator.
Market snapshot (2024):
- $2.6B invested; 331 deals (up from 297 in 2023).
- Top verticals (by deal count): fintech, biotech, AI. SaaS and gaming are also very active.
Takeaway
- Deeper, partnership-led programs are growing their impact across key verticals and maturing the ecosystem.
Türkiye’s startup ecosystem
AI tools can support Türkiye’s booming mobile gaming market
Türkiye is home to a thriving gaming industry, having produced the country’s first ever unicorn company Peak Games in 2020, then joined by Dream Games in 2021. It is a highly export-facing industry, with nearly 90% of game sales going towards international audiences – and 3.6% of global game downloads coming from Turkish apps and games. In fact, one in five of the most downloaded mobile games in the US were developed in Türkiye. AI adoption in game development can make production cheaper, reduce prices, and help Turkish developers attract an even wider global audience. By 2035, AI could boost gaming exports in Türkiye by ₺1.8 billion (US $56 million) a year.
Between 2022 and 2024, Turkish monthly game developer revenue on the Play Store more than doubled.
By 2035, AI could boost gaming exports in Türkiye by ₺1.8 billion (US $56 million) a year.
Codeway
Codeway is the studio behind chart-topping apps and games used by 115M+ people worldwide. Nowadays new AI apps surge or stall fast: this meant Codeway needed to experiment quickly, read user signals in real time, and scale without runaway GPU costs.
Codeway built on Google Cloud from day one. They used BigQuery as the “brain” for product decisions, GKE + CI/CD to ship multiple times a day, and Cloud Run/Functions to try out new ideas. With smart GPU choices, they keep AI affordable.
What happened:
- Shipped features at high velocity: A/B tested with Looker to figure out what users like and dislike.
- Analyzed 6TB/day of event data to personalise and optimise experiences.
- When a hit arrived, they scaled seamlessly: Voi reached 1M users in 6 days.
- Optimised training to cut GPU costs 70%, reinvesting savings into new bets.
What users see:
AI made simple and fun: Wonder (text-to-art), Facedance (AI animations), Voi (AI avatars) turning data and insights into everyday creativity.
Codeway source: Codeway: Putting AI at the fingertips of millions
AI tools like Google Veo lower the barrier for businesses to capabilities that before would have been hard to access
AI content generation tools like Google Veo democratises access to video, making it possible for business of all sizes to produce customised high quality assets. In our business poll, we found a range of use cases from early adopters of Veo, including training programmes, advertising, translation and conceptual inspiration.
Prompt:
A medium shot frames an old sailor, his knitted blue sailor hat casting a shadow over his eyes, a thick grey beard obscuring his chin. He holds his pipe in one hand, gesturing with it towards the churning, grey sea beyond the ship’s railing. “This ocean, it’s a force, a wild, untamed might. And she commands your awe, with every breaking light”
YouTube empowers Turkish creators to grow as entrepreneurs globally
YouTube Creators are the startup small businesses of the media industry, and the new global stars. The top ten Turkish creators alone have generated over 100 billion views between them. Everyone can have the opportunity to create with YouTube: in our survey, just under half (48%) of young adults said they had considered becoming a YouTube Creator themselves.
of Turkish adults watch YouTube videos featuring Creators from Türkiye at least once a week.
Every ₺1 invested in Google Ads yields ₺1.7 in exports.
Popular Turkish YouTube Creators
Note: we are featuring some of the most popular Turkish YouTube Creators here, this is not a list of the top five most subscribed to YouTube channels in Turkey.
Source for Creator subscriber numbers: Social Blade
Creator profile:
Ruhi Çenet
With YouTube’s support, Turkish creators like Ruhi Çenet are turning passion into global opportunity by reaching new audiences, managing content at a global scale, and connecting with creators across the world
“YouTube’s innovative technology and seamless user experience have enabled us to engage with audiences we never imagined possible. Leveraging their powerful tools, we successfully grew our monthly views from 10 million exclusively in Turkish to 150 million across 18 different languages on all our channels.”
“Our partnership with the YouTube team has significantly optimised channel management. With the provision of a CMS (Channel Management System) panel, we are able to efficiently oversee all channels from a single interface. This system also supports geo-blocking for specific countries, ensuring our content reaches the most relevant audiences.”
“Furthermore, the platform has allowed us to connect with like-minded content creators across multiple languages, serving as a valuable bridge that has helped us expand our audience base with ease.”