İTO | Istanbul Chamber of Commerce

The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) is one of Türkiye’s oldest and most influential business institutions, established in 1882, championing trade, industry, and entrepreneurship in Istanbul and beyond. As part of its broad mission to support economic growth and private sector development, İTO plays a central role in fostering innovation, connecting businesses to global markets, and enhancing the competitiveness of local enterprises.

A cornerstone of İTO’s engagement with the startup ecosystem is the Commercialization Center of Istanbul (Bilgiyi Ticarileştirme Merkezi – BTM). Founded in 2017 by İTO, BTM is a pioneering entrepreneurship hub offering pre-incubation, incubation, and post-incubation programs along with mentorship, training, investor matchmaking, networking, and 24/7 working space — largely free of charge — to help transform innovative ideas into scalable ventures. Through initiatives like BTM Camp, Pre-Incubation, Incubation, Post-Incubation, Sahne XL demo days, and global linkage programs, the Chamber fuels startup growth, integrates ventures with industry networks, and opens pathways to investment and commercialization.