Philip Morris Türkiye General Manager Filiz Yavuz Diren emphasized in her article for Patronlar Dünyası that Türkiye’s traditional retail sector has proven its ability to produce globally notable achievements when supported with the right technology and strong collaborations. She highlighted that combining Türkiye’s entrepreneurial strength with the digital capacity of the corporate world would allow both companies and the country to tell their stories more powerfully on the global stage.
According to Diren, a company’s true value today is not merely defined by its past balance sheet size or current production capacity. Instead, it is shaped by the breadth of its ecosystem, the agility of its digital capabilities, and its willingness to walk alongside startups. Digitalization, she noted, is no longer just an infrastructure element of business—it is the business itself. Companies that integrate digital transformation into their culture, products, decision-making, and partner operations distinguish themselves from those that merely purchase technology.
Innovation as the Lifeblood of Venture Capital
Diren pointed to Türkiye’s upward trend in idea generation, commercialization, and scaling. She noted that Türkiye climbed to 37th place among 133 countries in the Global Innovation Index. Venture capital data also supports this rise: over 2,230 deals have taken place since 2019, with total investment exceeding 6 billion USD. Despite global stagnation in 2025’s second quarter, Türkiye’s transaction volume reached 858 million USD—a sign that the ecosystem continues to generate opportunities and maintain investor appetite.
Istanbul’s rise to third place in the “Emerging Ecosystems” category of GSER 2025 further confirms Türkiye’s growing role in the global innovation chain.
Diren stressed that entrepreneurship is becoming a central axis of Türkiye’s economic narrative, strengthened by the quality of collaboration between startups and large corporations.
At the Same Table as Startups
In today’s business environment, success doesn’t come from saying “I can do it alone.” Real impact emerges when agile, experimental, tech-native startups sit at the same table with large corporations experienced in scale, field operations, and regulation.
Startups act as laboratories that test emerging technologies through fast-paced experimentation. Corporations, in turn, adapt these ideas to large-scale operations, multiplying their impact on the national economy. Strong collaborations accelerate startups’ growth journeys while transforming corporate digitalization and efficiency targets into tangible outcomes.
Retail Digitalization as a Case Study
Philip Morris Türkiye has placed digital transformation at the center of its business model since 2016. Today, 97% of its commercial interactions with 150,000 small retailers take place digitally. Processes that used to take weeks in the traditional FMCG channel can now be completed in days. Real-time data from the field enables personalized commercial offers.
This transformation also focuses on inclusivity. Through a partnership with TOBB ETÜ, the company has provided digital literacy training to 57,000 shopkeepers, enabling them to manage many digital tasks independently—from e-government applications to online banking. Diren emphasized that the goal is to extend digitalization beyond the company’s boundaries to its entire ecosystem.
The result is an integrated structure connecting field, office, and factory operations end-to-end—yielding leaner processes, faster decision-making, and a more resilient business model.
Opening the Door to the Startup Ecosystem
Diren noted that the company complements its internal transformation through strong connections with the startup ecosystem. Since 2019, through Philip Morris International’s investment arm PM Equity Partner, the company has been closely engaging with Türkiye’s startup network. Collaborative projects in industrial automation, AI, scientific research, and consumer experience aim to create impact both locally and globally.
Since 2022, with the FutureMark platform, Philip Morris Türkiye has supported the growth of the ecosystem. The company has interacted with over 200 startups, invited nearly 40 into collaboration platforms, and provided mentorship to many through its senior leaders. Programs supporting women entrepreneurs have helped nearly 100 founders.
Under FutureMark, the company shares not just investment but also knowledge, data, and global collaboration opportunities. Partnerships with angel networks, consultants, and universities help promising ideas commercialize faster. From fintech to health tech, clean energy to scientific research, Philip Morris Türkiye collaborates with startups across a wide spectrum.
These collaborations also accelerate the company’s digital agenda, producing tangible benefits in areas ranging from factory analytics to retail applications and corporate efficiency platforms.
The Era of “We Do It Together”
Diren concluded that Türkiye’s traditional retail channel has demonstrated its capacity for global best practices when paired with the right technology and strong partnerships. When startups’ agility and corporations’ scale come together, the entire ecosystem—not just individual companies—benefits, ultimately strengthening Türkiye’s long-term competitiveness.
“As we unite Türkiye’s entrepreneurial power with the corporate world’s digital capacity,” she wrote, “we will be able to tell both our companies’ and our country’s story to the world in a much stronger voice.”
Source: Patronlar Dünyası/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök