Turkey's startup graveyard
The stories of 117 startups from Turkey that shut down: what they did, why they closed and the lessons they left behind.
117 startups
ICRYPEX
A crypto exchange that grew through sponsorships and fan tokens, then went into liquidation in 2026
Closed2023 – 2026IO Interactive Türkiye
The Istanbul studio Hitman maker IO Interactive opened to develop AAA games
Closed2013 – 2026Quandoo Türkiye
The Turkish operation of the Berlin-based online restaurant booking platform
Closed? – 2026Vepara
A payment institution offering virtual POS, a digital wallet and pay-by-link on a single platform
Closed2018 – 2025Bitay
A crypto exchange born as an R&D project at Yıldız Teknopark that issued its own token
Closed2017 – 2025BitTurk
A Turkish exchange that was first to list some altcoins in Turkey and also built blockchain software
Closed2016 – 2025Gazete Duvar
An independent online newspaper launched after the 15 July coup attempt that lasted nine years
Closed2012 – 2025ininal
A Turkish prepaid card start-up that let people without credit cards shop online
Closed2016 – 2025Nabız (Nabd Türkiye)
The Turkish edition of Nabd, the Arab world's news app, aggregating more than 300 Turkish sources
Closed2015 – 2025Zingat
The property platform founded by Doğuş Group and REIDIN that stood out for its valuation data
Closed2004 – 2024instela (İTÜ Sözlük)
A collaborative dictionary born as İTÜ Sözlük that turned into a social community called instela
Closed2013 – 2024Koinim
A first-generation Turkish bitcoin wallet and trading platform, launched in 2013
Closed? – 2024Superpeer
The platform where experts and influencers held paid one-to-one calls and livestreams
Closed2011 – 2023Dergilik (Turkcell)
Turkcell's digital publishing platform offering hundreds of magazines and newspapers in a single app
Closed2021 – 2023LINK Türkiye (Superpedestrian)
US-based Superpedestrian's shared scooter service in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir
Closed2020 – 2023Mevsimi
The Turkish start-up that brought seasonal fruit and vegetables straight from growers to the door, with no mid
Closed2014 – 2023Modacruz
A mobile marketplace where women bought and sold second-hand luxury clothing and accessories
Closed2011 – 2023Morhipo
Boyner Holding's fashion site that brought new-season products and promotions together in one place
Closed2018 – 2023Thundra
A platform for monitoring, debugging and securing serverless applications such as AWS Lambda
Closed2017 – 2023Trapmine
The security software that used machine learning to protect corporate computers from malware
Closed2019 – 2022Barty
A peer-to-peer platform where second-hand goods were swapped for points rather than money
Closed2018 – 2022BenzinLitre
The app that mapped petrol stations with their latest prices and facilities
Closed2007 – 2022Bobiler.org
The photomontage community that brought "monte" culture to Turkish internet humour
Closed2001 – 2022GittiGidiyor
The site that started with auctions and grew into one of Turkey's longest-established marketplaces
Closed2017 – 2022Gönder
A grocery platform that brought neighbourhood shopkeepers' goods to the door through online ordering and deliv
Closed2020 – 2022Nimo TV Türkiye
The live-streaming platform through which China's Huya gathered mobile gaming streamers in Turkey
Closed2013 – 2022TutumluAnne
The Turkish marketplace where mothers bought and sold second-hand children's and women's items
Closed2017 – 2022Yaani
Turkcell's mobile-first search engine, launched with the promise of keeping data in Turkey
Closed2010 – 2022Yakala.co
The Turkish daily-deals site, backed by Hürriyet, that stood out for its witty voice
Closed2016 – 2021Arıkovanı
Turkcell's reward-based crowdfunding platform for technology start-ups
Closed2018 – 2021Coinzo
An İzmir-based platform that ranked among Turkey's five most-used crypto exchanges
Closed2017 – 2021Thodex
The Turkish crypto exchange, founded as Koineks, that went dark overnight in 2021
Closed2017 – 2021Vebitcoin
The Muğla-based crypto platform that halted operations right after Thodex
Closed2013 – 2021Zomato Türkiye
The restaurant discovery platform that grew by buying Mekanist, and came and went twice
Closed2004 – 2020Alkışlarla Yaşıyorum
The video site that became Turkey's archive of comedy clips during the years YouTube was blocked
Closed2005 – 2020Blogcu.com
Turkey's first free blogging service, which helped hundreds of thousands of people start a blog
Closed2016 – 2020Careem Türkiye
The Gulf ride-hailing start-up's taxi-hailing service in Istanbul, Bursa and Adana
Closed2018 – 2020Glovo Türkiye
The Turkish arm of the Spanish app that brought everything from meals to groceries to the door by courier
Closed2012 – 2020Hemen Kiralık
The Turkish rental site connecting hosts with people renting flats by the night or the day
Closed2018 – 2020OtoParlat
A mobile car-wash service that cleaned vehicles where they were parked, without using water
Closed? – 2020Smopin
The swipe-based chat app that matched strangers who wanted to talk about the same topic
Closed2016 – 2019Bilemezsin
The Turkish app that turned the news of the day into a fun points-based prediction game
Closed2016 – 2019Evtiko Türkiye
A property start-up that made offers on homes within 48 hours, bought them, renovated them and sold them on
Closed2013 – 2019Ligatus Türkiye
The ad network serving native ads dressed as content recommendations on news sites
Closed2008 – 2019Markafoni
The discount fashion site that popularised invitation-only private shopping in Turkey
Closed2018 – 2019Scotty Yemek
The food delivery service of Scotty, the motorbike ride app, bringing restaurant meals by courier
Closed2015 – 2019Sinemia
The cinema subscription app that let film fans go often for a fixed monthly fee
Closed2017 – 2019ŞefGibi
The Turkish start-up sending weekly meal kits with recipe cards and pre-portioned ingredients
Closed2011 – 20181V1Y (Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş)
The private shopping site set up jointly by some of Turkey's best-known retail brands
Closed2006 – 2018BuldumBuldum.com
An e-commerce site selling personalised products and quirky gifts
Closed2014 – 2018Pondr
The Turkish social app that let you put two photos side by side and ask your followers to choose
Closed2017 – 2018Setmoda
The fashion site that suggested outfits to match the shopper's mood and sold them as sets
Closed2000 – 2018Sobee
The pioneering games studio behind Turkey's first MMORPG, İstanbul Kıyamet Vakti
Closed2014 – 2018Webnak
The freight platform that matched shippers with lorry drivers through a mobile app
Closed2014 – 2017Bukoli
A Borusan venture that delivered online orders to neighbourhood shops and smart lockers
Closed2011 – 2017Butikbebe.com
The Turkish private shopping site selling products for mothers, mothers-to-be and babies through campaigns
Closed? – 2017Fotokritik
The Turkish-language photography community where photographers shared their work and critiqued each other
Closed2013 – 2017GüvenRehberi
The Turkish SaaS start-up that rated the trustworthiness of online shops through customer reviews
Closed2016 – 2017Kidimami
The marketplace where families bought and sold new and lightly used baby and children's products
Closed2014 – 2017Nuvo
Yapı Kredi's branchless, fee-free digital banking brand for young people
Closed2013 – 2017Papyon
Yemeksepeti's restaurant discovery and online table booking platform
Closed2015 – 2017TheFork Türkiye
The Turkish version of TripAdvisor's online restaurant booking and discount platform
Closed2011 – 2016Annelütfen
A vertical e-commerce site selling mother, baby and children's products, which also tried a subscription model
Closed2004 – 2016Bilio.com (Ucuzu.com)
A price comparison site born as Ucuzu.com that was renamed Bilio under Naspers
Closed2014 – 2016BolBol
The food-ordering platform from the founder of Çiçeksepeti that charged restaurants no commission
Closed2012 – 2016EVT Motor (EVT S1)
The home-grown, 100 per cent electric sports car start-up developed at Hacettepe Teknokent
Closed2012 – 2016incir.com
The platform that let anyone open a virtual shop in a few clicks and sell on commission without holding stock
Closed2010 – 2016İndirdik.com
The Turkish deals site selling quirky products at a discount, first known as Bendeİstiyorum.com
Closed2012 – 2016Kliksa
Sabancı Holding's e-commerce site selling everything from technology to personal care
Closed2012 – 2016Phorm Türkiye
A company that used internet provider data to target ads based on browsing habits
Closed2012 – 2015Arabulvar
A general e-commerce site and marketplace launched in Turkey by Limango, part of Otto Group
Closed2011 – 2015Dakick
The social time guide that recommended events based on the artists, teams and venues you followed
Closed2010 – 2015Evim.net
A vertical e-commerce site for home decor that raised $5 million
Closed2012 – 2015Giggem
The LinkedIn-style social network connecting musicians with the music industry
Closed2012 – 2015irmik.com
A B2B marketplace where restaurants bought food and operating supplies in bulk
Closed2009 – 2015Limango Türkiye
The Turkish private shopping site of Limango, part of Germany's Otto Group
Closed2012 – 2015Lokum.com
Yemeksepeti's online shop for regional and artisan food
Closed2010 – 2015Şehir Fırsatı (Groupon Türkiye)
Groupon's Turkish brand, a daily deals site selling vouchers for restaurants, spas and events
Closed2004 – 2014Céidot Oyun Stüdyoları
The pioneering Ankara game studio behind Hükümran Senfoni and Umaykut
Closed2013 – 2014Metrekare.com
A mobile-first, next-generation property listings site with neighbourhood-level price analysis
Closed2013 – 2014Tablet Seminerler
A short-course platform that sold expert seminars online and delivered them in person
Closed2012 – 2014Youlike
The dating site and social network that matched people by what they love and loathe
Closed2010 – 2013BenVarım
Turkey's first home-grown crowd-giving platform, helping NGOs raise donations through social media
Closed2011 – 2013DayBuyDay
A private shopping site founded as a partnership between Hepsiburada and Cem Hakko, which launched with Vakko
Closed2012 – 2013DesignLocks
An online shop offering different, original design products every day
Closed2012 – 2013Gamoba
A vertical e-commerce site selling PC and console games, gaming accessories and electronics
Closed? – 2013Gaxxi
A home-grown Turkish content management system offering paid blog and website hosting
Closed2012 – 2013Goboti
The e-commerce site selling one designer T-shirt a day from Turkish designers
Closed2012 – 2013Gurunzi
The curated shopping site selling, at a discount, products that celebrities had tried and recommended
Closed2011 – 2013Memurfoni
A group-buying site offering discounted deals to members of Memurlar.net
Closed2011 – 2013Pakette
The Turkish e-commerce site that sold one discounted product a day, with free shipping on three
Closed2012 – 2013StilSOS
The social fashion showcase that presented products from different brands and designers as outfits
Closed2010 – 2013VIPDükkan
One of Turkey's first flash-sale sites, a branded-goods discount club that grew on TV advertising
Closed2012 – 2012Bamarang Türkiye
Rocket Internet's Turkish site selling design products through flash sales
Closed2011 – 2012Evimister
The vertical e-commerce site selling everything from home decor to home electronics
Closed2012 – 2012Fyonk
A social gifting app that let people send friends gift vouchers on their Facebook birthdays
Closed2008 – 2012Monster Türkiye
The Turkish job listings and CV platform of the global careers site Monster
Closed2005 – 2012Pabbuc.com
A shoe and bag shop remembered as Turkey's first online shoe retailer
Closed2011 – 2012Saklışehir
A group-buying site offering traditional experiences to conservative users
Closed2006 – 2012Sosyomat
A home-grown, tag-based Turkish social network founded before Facebook caught on in Turkey
Closed2011 – 2012Sporena
The Turkish vertical e-commerce site selling sports shoes, clothing and accessories
Closed2010 – 2012Vimjo
A Turkish e-commerce site that set out to bring personal care and health products together in one place
Closed2012 – 2012Zidaya
The shoe, clothing and accessories site Rocket Internet set up in Turkey
Closed2008 – 2011İçkisepeti
The Istanbul site that delivered alcohol to your door in about half an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Closed2005 – 2010Hemalhemsat
A Doğan Group marketplace connecting individual sellers and shops with buyers
Closed2007 – 2009Bravoo
The online directory, local search and advertising platform connecting small businesses with consumers
Closed2003 – 2009Koysepete
An Ankara-based shopping site selling everything from computers to home textiles in instalments
Closed2005 – 2009Teketek
A technology distributor's shopping site, focused on computers and electronics
Closed2005 – 2009Yeterkiiste
The technology-focused online shop set up as an affiliate of İş Bankası
Closed1998 – 2008Estore
One of Turkey's first general online shopping sites, an e-store that also sold on television
Closed2007 – 2008Tio
The shopping guide that compared prices and let you buy from different shops with a single account
Closed2000 – 2008Weblebi.com
One of Turkey's first generation of general online shopping sites
Closed2023 – 2025Pilavyer Software
Turkish software company
Closed1992 – 2021Onur Air
Turkish airline
Closed2012 – 2016Tvyo.com
Consumer apps
Closed2005 – 2014Céidot Game Studios
Video game development company
Closed1999 – 2014Tiglon
Media and entertainment
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This section is compiled from public sources (Wikidata, news archives and company announcements). Figures are given as they appear in those sources; unknown fields are left blank. If you spot a mistake in an entry, you can send us a correction.