Top 10 Women in Tech Groups and Resources in Türkiye in 2026

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Istanbul Fintech Week - Women in Fintech Summit
• Corporate Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) - Garanti BBVA & Turner
• TÜBİTAK BİLGEM - Women in AI Summits
• BTK Akademi - Free Online Certifications
• Kadın Yazılımcılar (Women Coders)
• Engineer Girls of Türkiye
• TurkishWIN (Turkish Women's International Network)
• Kodluyoruz - Tech Talent Academy
• WomenTech Network Türkiye Circle
• Wtech (Women in Technology Association)
• Making the Mosaic Work
• Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul Fintech Week - Women in Fintech Summit

Türkiye’s fintech sector has exploded - major platforms such as Trendyol, Getir, and Hepsiburada have all launched financial services - yet women remain severely underrepresented in fintech leadership. The Women in Fintech Summit, held annually within Istanbul Fintech Week, directly confronts this gap by creating visibility for female founders, CTOs, and investors working at the intersection of finance and AI. This is not a side-stage event; it runs alongside the main conference and draws executives from Türkiye’s top financial institutions.

Access requires a ticket, with early-bird pricing ranging from ₺750 to ₺1,500 for students and ₺2,500 to ₺5,000 for professionals. Scholarships are regularly available through partner universities including Boğaziçi and İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi. The summit’s location in İstanbul’s financial district places participants minutes from the headquarters of Garanti BBVA, İşbank, and Yapı Kredi - banks that have aggressively invested in AI-driven digital banking infrastructure.

The concrete value lies in direct networking with decision-makers: the 2025 summit featured a pitch competition for women-led fintech startups, with the winner securing mentorship from venture capital firm Re-Pie Asset Management. Garanti BBVA exemplifies the ecosystem’s potential - the bank partners with the International Finance Corporation to provide financial services and growth support for women-led tech SMEs. For women in AI, this summit is where you meet the people actively building Türkiye’s next-generation banking rails.

Corporate Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) - Garanti BBVA & Turner

Beyond formal organizations, the employee resource groups embedded within Türkiye’s largest corporations offer a quieter but equally powerful entry point. Garanti BBVA runs a Women in Tech ERG that hosts quarterly panels on career progression, hiring bias, and work-life balance - topics that directly address the barriers women face in the domestic tech scene. The bank has deepened this commitment through a formal partnership with the International Finance Corporation to provide financial services and growth support specifically for women-led tech SMEs.

Turner Construction offers a contrasting but complementary model. Their Women ERG hosted a 2025 gathering titled “An Inspiring Gathering of Women Across Türkiye,” documented on the company’s insights page, which included technical workshops and peer mentoring sessions. Events are typically free or low-cost (₺100-₺300), removing financial barriers that can prevent mid-career women from accessing development opportunities. Many ERGs now offer public membership, extending their reach beyond full-time employees.

The concrete value is direct exposure to hiring pipelines. ERGs frequently share internal job postings before they go public, giving members a crucial head start. For women based in İzmir or Ankara who cannot regularly commute to İstanbul events, virtual ERG sessions provide access to the same networks. As one Garanti BBVA engineer noted during a 2025 panel, “The ERG was where I found my first mentor who understood what it’s like to be a woman in a DevOps team.”

TÜBİTAK BİLGEM - Women in AI Summits

Artificial intelligence is the highest-growth technical field in Türkiye, with machine learning engineer salaries averaging ₺60,000-₺120,000 monthly in İstanbul as of 2026. Yet women remain severely underrepresented in these roles. TÜBİTAK BİLGEM, the nation’s leading scientific research institution, addresses this gap through dedicated Women in AI summits and grant programs that create clear pipelines from university research into commercial AI positions at major employers.

The annual Women in AI summit, typically held in Ankara with virtual attendance options, offers hands-on workshops in natural language processing and computer vision. Participants receive certification recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology - a credential that carries weight with hiring managers at Turkcell, Türk Telekom, and ASELSAN. Early registration costs ₺200-₺500, with applications opening each March. The 2025 summit also featured technical tracks co-designed by industry partners to ensure curriculum matches real job requirements.

Beyond the summit, TÜBİTAK provides research grants of ₺50,000-₺500,000 specifically for women-led AI projects. This direct funding route is comparable to Berlin’s AI research institutes but benefits from deeper integration into Türkiye’s national teknopark ecosystem. For women seeking to move from academic research into industry impact, this is the most direct bridge available - a structured pathway that explicitly rewards technical excellence while addressing the representation gap at its source.

BTK Akademi - Free Online Certifications

For women in regional cities like Konya, Bursa, or Gaziantep without direct access to İstanbul’s tech scene, BTK Akademi provides the most accessible entry point into high-growth fields. As the official online learning platform of Türkiye’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority, it offers free bootcamps and certification tracks in software development, AI, data science, and cybersecurity - all central to the “1 Million Software Developer” national initiative. Women make up a significant share of recent cohorts, and the content is tailored specifically to the local job market.

Courses range from 20-hour introductions to 200-hour comprehensive bootcamps. The AI and machine learning track, launched in 2025, covers TensorFlow, PyTorch, and deployment on Turkish cloud infrastructure - skills that map directly to roles at major employers. Completion certificates are recognized by companies including Trendyol and Turkcell, giving graduates a credential that carries weight in domestic hiring processes. The platform’s zero-cost model removes the financial barrier that often prevents women from reskilling mid-career.

The impact is measurable: BTK Akademi’s 2025 graduate survey found that 62% of women who completed the AI certification received at least one job interview within three months. This pathway is particularly critical given Türkiye’s ongoing brain drain - the Women in Technology Association notes that structured, low-barrier training programs are essential retention tools. For women in under-resourced regions, BTK Akademi’s flexible online model offers the same curriculum available in İstanbul’s best bootcamps, without the relocation cost. As a complement, the Engineer Girls of Türkiye program provides additional scholarship and internship support for university students pursuing similar technical paths.

Kadın Yazılımcılar (Women Coders)

Founded in 2013, this grassroots community remains a cornerstone of Türkiye’s women-in-tech landscape precisely because it offers something formal organizations cannot: a safe space to ask “stupid” questions, share experiences with sexism in the workplace, and find peer solidarity without hierarchy. The group’s Facebook community has grown to over 15,000 members, and its Telegram channels are active daily with job postings, technical questions, and personal stories spanning from beginners learning HTML to senior engineers at Yemeksepeti.

Membership is entirely free, removing the economic barriers that can exclude women early in their careers or those outside major tech hubs. The group organizes informal meetups in İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, often hosted in co-working spaces like Kolektif House or Impact Hub. These gatherings focus on peer problem-solving rather than formal curriculum - developers debug each other’s code, share interview preparation strategies, and pass along job leads before they appear on public boards. The community is also listed among global networks in Relocate.me’s comprehensive roundup of women in tech communities by country.

The concrete value is trust-based networking. The group’s 2025 internal survey found that 78% of members had received direct job referrals through the community. For women facing hiring bias - a reality documented in recent coverage of Türkiye’s female coder brain drain - this grassroots network provides the social proof that formal credentials alone cannot. Unlike accelerator programs requiring applications, Kadın Yazılımcılar is open to everyone, making it the most democratic entry point into Türkiye’s tech ecosystem.

Engineer Girls of Türkiye

The transition from university to industry is where many women drop out of tech, and Engineer Girls of Türkiye (Türkiye’nin Mühendis Kızları) was designed specifically to close that gap. Founded by the Ministry of Family and Social Services in partnership with major employers, this ongoing project targets female engineering students in their second, third, or fourth year at Turkish universities. Since its launch, the program has supported over 3,000 women, with the 2025 cohort alone reaching 400 students.

Applications open annually in September, and selected participants receive a comprehensive support package:

• ₺12,000 annual scholarships to ease financial pressure during study
• Internship placements at partner companies including Turkcell, Siemens, and Ford Otosan
• Monthly mentorship sessions with experienced engineers and managers

The program’s impact is clear: the 2025 outcomes showed that 85% of graduates secured full-time tech roles within six months of graduation. This placement rate dramatically outperforms the national average for young engineers, particularly women. Primary partner universities include İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, and Boğaziçi - institutions that already produce a large share of Türkiye’s tech talent. According to the program’s official website, the goal is to build a self-sustaining alumni network where past graduates mentor incoming cohorts, creating a compounding effect on women’s participation in engineering fields. For students at these universities, Engineer Girls offers the most reliable bridge between classroom theory and a career at a major Turkish tech employer.

TurkishWIN (Turkish Women's International Network)

TurkishWIN operates at the leadership level where networks determine career trajectory. The organization connects accomplished Turkish women in tech with aspiring entrepreneurs through its signature “Angel Member” program, explicitly designed to turn “ideas into impact”. Its Angel Members include Tendü Yoğurtçu, PhD in Computer Science and CTO of Precisely, who mentors the next generation of global tech leaders through this platform. TurkishWIN focuses on women who are already mid-career or on a leadership track, providing the connections needed to break through glass ceilings.

Membership operates by invitation or selective application. Angel Members pay annual dues of ₺15,000-₺30,000, while regular members pay ₺3,000-₺5,000. The network hosts quarterly events in İstanbul, with occasional gatherings in Ankara and İzmir, and applications open twice yearly. The selection process emphasizes demonstrated leadership and a concrete commitment to mentoring others, ensuring each cohort maintains high professional density. This selectivity is what gives TurkishWIN its outsized influence in the ecosystem.

The concrete value is access to a network thick with decision-makers: CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and founders who can open doors that formal applications cannot. Turkish women already account for over 26% of international patent applications from the country - the highest percentage globally - and networks like TurkishWIN amplify this momentum. For women targeting CXO roles at companies like Trendyol, Insider, or Getir, TurkishWIN is the single most valuable professional network available domestically, as highlighted in the Global Woman Leader’s ranking of top women CXOs from Turkey. It is the tile designed for the peak of the mosaic.

Kodluyoruz - Tech Talent Academy

Kodluyoruz has trained over 10,000 developers since its founding, with women now making up more than 40% of recent cohorts - a deliberate emphasis on gender balance that sets it apart from many technical bootcamps. Their Tech Talent Academy specifically targets early-career developers, offering structured pathways into software engineering, data science, and DevOps roles. Unlike the large-scale certification programs offered by Wtech, Kodluyoruz emphasizes close mentorship with small cohort sizes, capping acceptance at approximately 10-15% of applicants to maintain quality.

Applications open quarterly for the free online bootcamps, which run for 12 weeks with weekly mentorship sessions. The program is followed by a dedicated job placement phase where the team actively connects graduates with hiring partners. This structure is especially effective for women switching careers or returning to work after a break - groups that traditional university programs often fail to accommodate. The cohort model also builds peer accountability networks that persist long after graduation.

The impact is measurable: Kodluyoruz’s 2025 impact report showed that 72% of women graduates received job offers within 90 days of completing the program. Partner employers include Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Yemeksepeti, and global companies with Turkish offices like Amazon and Microsoft. This placement rate is particularly significant given the broader context of Türkiye’s female tech talent retention challenges, as documented in Rest of World’s 2025 report on the brain drain. For women who need a structured, high-support pathway into the industry, Kodluyoruz fills a gap that neither government programs nor corporate ERGs fully address - a tile designed for the critical transition point between learning and earning.

WomenTech Network Türkiye Circle

The April 2026 meetup of the WomenTech Network Türkiye Circle drew over 120 participants to a panel titled “Navigating AI Leadership” featuring CTOs from Trendyol and Insider - a density of decision-making power that is rare for a single evening event. This Turkish chapter of a global community has grown rapidly since 2024, with over 4 active ambassadors across the country hosting monthly virtual meetups and quarterly in-person gatherings in İstanbul. The network deliberately targets women who are already established in tech - typically 3+ years of experience - and aiming for senior or leadership roles.

The Turkey Women in Tech Circle is one of the most active regional chapters within the broader network. Membership is free at the basic tier, granting access to community events and job boards. The premium tier (₺2,000/year) unlocks one-on-one mentorship sessions and exclusive leadership workshops. The network’s mentorship matching algorithm pairs participants with mentors based on specific career goals - whether transitioning into AI engineering, moving into management, or founding a startup - creating targeted support rather than generic advice.

The concrete value lies in the intersection of global reach and local relevance. Ambassadors in Türkiye include engineers, product managers, and executives who work at both Turkish companies and multinationals, as detailed on the Women in Tech Turkey Ambassadors page. For women navigating İstanbul’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem, this Circle offers the most comprehensive networking resource available - a direct line to the people making hiring and promotion decisions at the companies defining Türkiye’s tech landscape. The April 2026 meetup slide deck, shared online, became a reference document for participants long after the event ended, illustrating how these connections compound over time.

Wtech (Women in Technology Association)

Wtech (Teknolojide Kadın Derneği) is the most comprehensive women-in-tech organization in Türkiye, combining government partnerships, corporate sponsorships, and grassroots community building at a scale unmatched by any other resource on this list. The association partners directly with the Ministry of Industry and Technology to train 1 million software developers, and its Wtech Academy offers free certification tracks in AI, data science, and cybersecurity, with curriculum co-designed by employers including Turkcell, Trendyol, and Türk Telekom. The 2025-2026 program includes a specialized AI track covering machine learning, deep learning, and MLOps - skills directly aligned with current industry hiring needs.

Registration is free, with applications opening twice yearly in March and September. The AI track requires basic programming knowledge, assessed through a placement test. Beyond the academy, Wtech hosts monthly networking events, an annual conference drawing over 5,000 attendees, and a mentorship program pairing junior developers with senior engineers. As the organization describes on its official site, it is actively "training the future leaders of technology" for the new century.

The scale is staggering: Wtech has trained over 50,000 women since its founding. Their 2025 outcomes showed 68% of AI track graduates received job offers within six months, with starting salaries averaging ₺45,000-₺70,000. But the true value is systemic: by working directly with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Wtech influences national tech policy, including tax incentives for companies that hire women in technical roles. For women building careers in AI, Wtech is the largest and most effective entry point - the foundational tile that makes all the others fit together.

Making the Mosaic Work

Türkiye’s women-in-tech ecosystem is not a ladder you climb. It is a tilework pattern where each resource amplifies the others. Wtech trains you. Kodluyoruz places you. WomenTech Network connects you. TurkishWIN accelerates your leadership. Kadın Yazılımcılar gives you community. The brain drain documented in Rest of World’s 2025 report makes this interconnection not merely helpful but essential - isolation accelerates departure, while embedded community support creates the friction that keeps talent anchored.

Each group plays a distinct role at a different stage of career development. For a junior developer in Ankara, the free certifications from BTK Akademi combined with the peer support of Kadın Yazılımcılar may be the right combination. For a mid-career engineer in İstanbul targeting a CTO role, TurkishWIN membership and WomenTech Network mentorship provide the density of decision-maker access needed to make that leap. The ecosystem’s strength is that these are not competing options but complementary tiles - each one fits beside others to form a complete picture.

So do not ask “which group is best.” Ask “what gaps are missing in my own pattern?” Then find the tile that fits. The Women in Technology Association has already trained over 50,000 women; perhaps your next step is simply to join them. Your hand is hovering over the last gap. Click it into place. The wave becomes complete.

Frequently Asked Questions