Turkey: Overview & Impact

Building Markets is uniquely positioned to support the growth of refugee-led businesses in Turkey. Since 2016, the organization has developed an extensive network of Syrian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), published ground-breaking research that has brought visibility to their operations and economic contributions, and designed tailored services to facilitate their access to new opportunities. Building Markets works closely with local partners to implement its programs, including Turkish businesses.  

Bringing Visibility to Local Firms

We have collected more than 300,000 data points on registered Syrian SMEs in Turkey. Services include:

• Verification of companies through in-person and virtual surveys to identify growth constraints and capabilities. 
• Creating tailored businesses profiles on our matchmaking platform: entrepreneurs.buidingmarkets.org 

 Training and Mentorship

Our training services rely on internal and external experts and are informed by our data collected directly from SMEs on their self-identified needs. Our services have reached 100s of SMEs and over 1,000 entrepreneurs. Training is offered through:

• In-person group, virtual, and individual sessions covering business areas such as procurement, sales and marketing, financial management, and introduction to exporting.
• Our online training platform, which offers SMEs access to technical knowledge, business resources, and supplements our in-person services.

 Connecting SMEs to Supply Chains and Capital

Building Markets integrates local SMEs into supply chains and connects them to investment by making valuable information available to suppliers, buyers, banks, and investors by: 

• Collecting and sharing tenders on our matchmaking platform.
• Providing on-demand matchmaking briefs and sourcing support that fast-tracks buyer access to local goods and services.
• Connecting investors with SMEs positioned for scale and investment.
• Organizing networking functions, forums, and other events that showcase local SMEs, their offerings, and enable business relationships.

 Market Research 

We leverage our extensive data to produce market assessments, sector-specific reports, and to share other trends and analysis on our network of SMEs.

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From 2016-2018, Building Markets also offered services to Syrian-led civil society organizations. Resources and products from this program can be accessed in the reports section of this page and through: syriancivilsociety.org 

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