In this episode of TRVC, I sit down with Serkan Ünsal, founder of Startups.watch — the platform often described as the “Crunchbase of Turkey.”We explore the evolution of the Turkish startup and venture capital ecosystem through the eyes of someone who has been there since the very beginning.Before founding Startups.watch, Serkan worked at Ericsson Turkey and Turkcell, where he was involved in one of the earliest attempts to establish a corporate venture capital arm in Turkey back in 2008. After leaving corporate life, he founded Dakick, an event recommendation startup later acquired by Turkcell. A visit to Silicon Valley during those years inspired him to build a data platform tracking the Turkish startup ecosystem — which became Startups.watch.Today, Startups.watch powers reports and ecosystem insights used across the Turkish venture ecosystem and contributes Turkish startup data to international platforms and ecosystem reports.In this conversation, we discuss:- How the Turkish startup ecosystem evolved over the last 15 years- Why Turkey has a seed funding boom but still suffers from a Series A crunch- The success of Turkish gaming startups and the rise of AI app studios- Why Turkish startups struggle to globalize early enough- The differences between Istanbul, Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston- Why Turkish corporates still struggle with acquisitions- How startup ecosystem data is collected and why most global databases are “dirty”- Why Serkan believes mindset matters more than location- The future of Turkish venture capital, fintech, gaming, and AIThis was a wide-ranging conversation about venture capital, startup culture, product management, founder psychology, ecosystem building, and the structural realities of building technology companies in Turkey.If you follow Turkish startups, venture capital, technology, or emerging ecosystems, this episode is packed with insights.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction & Serkan Ünsal’s Background 02:20 From Turkcell to Founding Startups.watch 05:20 Product Management, Silicon Valley & Early Turkish VC 09:40 Building the “Crunchbase of Turkey” 14:20 Turkey’s Startup Ecosystem: Seed Boom vs Series A Crunch 21:10 Gaming, AI & Turkey’s Global Startup Successes 28:28 Why Mindset Matters More Than Location 33:45 Istanbul vs Silicon Valley vs Boston 37:10 Exits, IPOs & Why Turkish Corporates Avoid Acquisitions 45:40 What Foreign Investors Really Think About Turkey 49:00 Books, Learning Sources & People Who Helped Along the WayReferenced in the episode:Startups.watchCrunchbasePitchBookCB InsightsDealroomMattermarkDataFoxRevo Capital212 (see the TRVC episode with Ali Karabey)e2vc (see the TRVC episode with Enis Hulli)Dream GamesPeak GamesTaleMonster GamesFimpleApostoGlobalTurkIf you enjoyed the episode, please consider:Subscribing to the channelSharing the episode with someone interested in startups or venture capitalLeaving a comment with your thoughts on the Turkish startup ecosystemTRVC explores the people, ideas, and capital shaping the Turkish venture ecosystem.
