All the way from Pakistan to explore Türkiye’s thriving ecosystem, NICAT’s Pakistan ESOs Delegation has wrapped an Istanbul Ecosystem Visit that ran from June 21 to 25, 2026. Organized by Accelerate Prosperity and represented by Lybah Tariq, Manager of Events and Community Partnerships, the five-day visit took the delegation deep into Türkiye’s innovation landscape, beginning with policy-level conversations at the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment and Finance Office before moving into venture capital insights with Boğaziçi Ventures and Simya VC, and commercialization know-how at BTM.
The delegation also explored how Türkiye’s banks and tech parks are fueling innovation, with stops at DenizBank’s NEOHUB, İşBankası’s Yapay Zeka Fabrikası, ITÜ Çekirdek, Plug and Play, Bilişim Vadisi, and Terminal Istanbul. This particular segment of the itinerary gave delegates a firsthand look at how established financial institutions in Türkiye have built dedicated innovation arms and technology parks, offering a potential model for how Pakistani banks and institutions might similarly structure their own innovation and startup engagement efforts going forward.
Beyond institutional visits, the delegation held exchanges with ecosystem builders including Inveo, DOMiNO Ventures, e2VC, and Ardventure, alongside a standout meeting with Yehia Houry, CEO of Flat6Labs, one of the more established venture builders and accelerators operating across the MENA and Türkiye region. These direct conversations with active ecosystem builders gave the Pakistani delegation exposure not just to the physical infrastructure supporting Türkiye’s innovation economy but also to the specific operational approaches and strategic thinking driving organisations like Flat6Labs.
Described as a fitting end to a journey full of new connections and cross-border collaboration, the visit was supported by Ignite National Technology Fund, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, NETSOL Technologies, the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, Air University, and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra. The Istanbul visit adds to a growing pattern of Pakistani entrepreneur support organisations seeking direct exposure to more established international ecosystems, using such visits to identify practices and partnerships that could help strengthen their own domestic incubation and venture support models.
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