TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast

All about the Turkish VC and startup ecosystem. Hosted by seasoned startup operator and Stanford & INSEAD alumn Yunus Celebiler, we bring you unfiltered conversations with the investors and ecosystem players at the heart of a thriving tech ecosystem in Turkey and beyond.

TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 33 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast, a business show with 33 episodes published.

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  TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast

  From e2vc to Skybound: Building a European Deep Tech Fund | Tarık Dutkuner | TRVC #33

  Aug 11, 202634 min

  My guest is Tarık Dutkuner, Partner at Skybound Capital, a new €40M venture fund investing in deep tech startups across Europe. Before joining Skybound, Tarık was an investor at e2vc, where he worked with founders across Turkey and Eastern Europe. In this conversation, we discuss his journey into venture capital, why he decided to join Skybound, and why he believes Europe is entering a new era for deep tech investing. We also explore what makes deep tech companies different from traditional software startups, why hardware is becoming investable again, how Europe compares to the US, and what Turkey needs to do to produce more globally successful frontier technology companies. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:30 Tarık's path into venture capital 04:50 Joining e2vc and investing across the region 07:11 Why leave e2vc for Skybound? 09:26 Inside Skybound: strategy, fund size & investment thesis 17:04 Why deep tech is having its moment 20:12 The Turkish startup ecosystem: strengths and blind spots 23:08 University spin-offs, IP and commercialization 27:45 The future of deep tech in Europe and Turkey 31:02 Advice for founders and closing thoughts About TRVC TRVC is a podcast featuring long-form conversations with the investors, founders and ecosystem builders shaping venture capital and entrepreneurship in Turkey. New episodes are published regularly in both English and Turkish. If you enjoy the conversation, please consider: Subscribing to the channel Liking the video Sharing it with someone interested in startups or venture capital Leaving a comment with your thoughts Follow TRVC on LinkedIn for more conversations with leading private capital investors from Turkey and beyond. #TRVC #VentureCapital #Startups #DeepTech #SkyboundCapital #e2vc #Turkey #EuropeanStartups #Hardware #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

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  TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast

  Hackquarters'tan Tenity'ye: Hızlandırıcı, Kurumsal İnovasyon ve VC | Kaan Akın - TRVC 32

  Jul 30, 202647 min

  Türkiye girişimcilik ekosisteminin tanınmış isimlerinden biri olan Kaan Akın bu bölümde TRVC'ye konuk oluyor.Kaan, Hackquarters'ı nasıl kurduğunu, kurumsal inovasyon programlarının nasıl ortaya çıktığını ve bugün Tenity çatısı altında hızlandırıcı programları, kurumsal inovasyon ve venture capital'i nasıl bir araya getirdiklerini anlatıyor.Sohbet boyunca ayrıca:- Hackquarters'ın kuruluş hikayesi- Kurumsal inovasyonun Türkiye'deki gelişimi- Tenity'nin yatırım stratejisi ve fon yapısı- Avrupa ve İngiltere startup ekosistemleri- Türkiye'den global şirket çıkarmanın zorlukları- VC dünyasında değişen dinamikler- AI, secondary piyasaları ve fon toplamanın geleceği- Türk girişimcilere tavsiyeler- Rapid Fire soruları- Kaan'ın önerdiği kitap ve podcastKonularını ele alıyoruz.Keyifli seyirler!Bölümde bahsettiğimiz kaynaklar The Power Law (Güç Yasası) — Sebastian Mallaby️ Acquired PodcastBölüm Akışı00:00 Giriş ve Kaan Akın'ın hikâyesi01:04 Mekatronikten girişimciliğe ve Hackquarters'ın kuruluşu05:04 Hackquarters: İlk yatırımlar ve kurumsal inovasyonun doğuşu10:16 Tenity'ye katılış, birleşme süreci ve yatırım modeli16:39 Yeni fonlar, diaspora girişimcileri ve Londra'nın rolü23:41 Venture Capital'in geleceği: SaaS Apocalypse, AI, secondary piyasaları ve fon toplama29:15 Türkiye startup ekosistemi ve neden ilk günden global düşünmek gerekiyor36:20 Türkiye'nin uluslararası algısı ve globalleşme tavsiyeleri39:20 Rapid Fire: Kaçırılan yatırımlar, venture capital ve unicornlar43:55 Kitap ve podcast önerileri, Namık Kural ve kariyerindeki dönüm noktalarıYoutube kanalına Abone Olun

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  TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast

  The Missing Piece in Deep Tech: Venture Financing - Serhat Çiçekoğlu (Sente Ventures) TRVC 31

  Jul 15, 202637 min

  Deep tech startups don't usually fail because the technology doesn't work—they fail because they can't finance their first factory. In this episode of TRVC – The Turkish VC Podcast, I speak with Serhat Çiçekoğlu, Managing Partner at Sente Ventures, about one of the least-discussed challenges in venture capital: how deep tech companies bridge the gap between a successful pilot and full-scale commercialization. Unlike traditional venture funds, Sente Ventures provides non-dilutive project financing—typically $200 million to $1.5 billion—to help deep tech startups build their first commercial manufacturing facility. We also discuss why this financing gap exists, how project finance differs from venture capital, the future of deep tech investing, and Serhat's candid assessment of the Turkish startup ecosystem, including where he believes Turkey excels—and where it still has significant work to do. Whether you're a founder, investor, policymaker, or simply interested in the future of venture capital, this episode offers a fascinating look at a part of the startup financing landscape that few people ever see. Guest: Serhat Çiçekoğlu Managing Partner, Sente Ventures Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:27 Serhat's journey from engineer to venture capitalist 01:31 Building Sente Foundry and helping Turkish startups expand to the US 04:31 Why Sente Ventures shifted to deep tech project finance 05:25 How non-dilutive factory financing works 07:24 Why Sente doesn't take equity 08:31 How Sente is funded 09:22 Which startups qualify for $200M+ financing 11:44 Why Turkey is an attractive manufacturing base 13:50 Sente's investment focus: energy, agriculture & circular economy 16:02 Why first factories are so expensive 18:50 The Turkish startup ecosystem: strengths and weaknesses 25:23 Why gaming and fintech alone aren't enough 27:40 Global trends in deep tech investing 34:10 Advice for founders 36:17 Closing thoughts 🎙 TRVC – The Turkish VC Podcast brings conversations with venture capitalists and ecosystem builders shaping startups in Turkey and beyond. If you enjoy the episode, please like, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more people discover the show and supports the Turkish venture ecosystem.

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  TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast

  Daha Fazla Kadın, Daha Güçlü Bir Girişim Ekosistemi - Nihal Güngör (SistersLab) TRVC 30

  Jul 1, 202626 min

  Bu bölümde konuğum, SistersLab – Bilim ve Teknolojide Kadın Derneği'nin kurucu üyelerinden Nihal Güngör.Bu bölüm, TRVC'de alışık olduğumuz klasik girişim sermayesi veya startup kurucusu sohbetlerinden biraz farklı. Konuştuğumuz konu, girişimcilik ve teknoloji ekosisteminin geleceği açısından son derece önemli: Teknoloji alanında daha fazla kadın nasıl yetiştirilir, desteklenir ve liderlik pozisyonlarına taşınır?Nihal ile, Türkiye'de ve dünyada kadınların STEM (bilim, teknoloji, mühendislik ve matematik) alanlarındaki temsiliyetini, teknoloji girişimciliğinde ve yatırım ekosistemindeki kadınların rolünü ve SistersLab'in bu alanda nasıl bir sosyal girişim olarak ortaya çıktığını konuştuk.Sohbetimizde ayrıca:• Türkiye'de kadınların STEM alanlarına katılımındaki mevcut durumu ve uluslararası karşılaştırmaları,• Türkiye'nin kadın girişimciler ve kadın teknoloji liderleri açısından güçlü yönlerini,• Bir sosyal girişimin sıfırdan nasıl kurulup büyütülebileceğini,• Sosyal girişimcilik ile girişim sermayesi ekosistemleri arasındaki benzerlikleri,• SistersLab'in Birleşmiş Milletler, özel sektör ve uluslararası kuruluşlarla yürüttüğü çalışmaları,• Deprem bölgesindeki genç kadınların teknoloji alanında istihdamını artırmaya yönelik projeleri,Bu bölümün belki de en önemli mesajı şu: Daha kapsayıcı, daha çeşitli ve daha güçlü bir teknoloji ve girişimcilik ekosistemi inşa etmek, yalnızca eşitlik açısından değil, aynı zamanda daha başarılı şirketler ve daha güçlü bir ekosistem yaratmak açısından da kritik öneme sahip.Nihal'in de anlattığı gibi, değişim çoğu zaman büyük planlarla değil; küçük bir fikir, bir atölye çalışması veya bir kişinin başkasına yol göstermesiyle başlıyor.Konuşmada adı geçen bazı kurum ve organizasyonlar:• SistersLab• TurkNet• Birleşmiş Milletler Kadının Statüsü Komisyonu (CSW)• UN Women• Sabancı Vakfı• Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı• Hepsiburada• L'Oréal Türkiye• Arya Women Investment Platform• Founder One• Endeavor Türkiye• İbrahim Bodur Sosyal Girişimcilik Ödülleri• İlk Fırsat Programı• How I Built This PodcastTRVC – The Turkish VC Podcast, Türkiye girişimcilik ve yatırım ekosisteminin kurucularını, yatırımcılarını ve ekosistem liderlerini ağırlamaya devam ediyor.Kanalımıza abone olmayı, videoyu beğenmeyi ve görüşlerinizi yorumlarda paylaşmayı unutmayın.

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  TRVC - The Turkish VC podcast

  Why Most VCs Are Bad at Exits | Alex Konoplyasty (Flashpoint Capital) TRVC 29

  Jun 17, 202649 min

  Alex is the Founder and General Partner of Flashpoint Capital, a growth-stage VC and venture debt firm managing over $600 million. Before founding Flashpoint, he spent years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley, advising on major telecom, media, and technology transactions across Europe and emerging markets.Over the past decade, Flashpoint has invested in dozens of technology companies, backed multiple unicorns, and completed nearly 30 exits.In our conversation, Alex shares why he believes most investors know how to deploy capital but very few truly understand how to exit investments successfully.Topics we discuss include:• Why exits are the most overlooked skill in venture capital• How Flashpoint has built an exit-focused investment strategy• Why many founders should stop obsessing over unicorns and focus on building valuable businesses• The realities of scaling B2B startups from emerging markets• Why the US remains the world's most attractive market for software companies• Common mistakes founders make when expanding internationally• Building go-to-market teams and selling into the US from abroad• Venture debt: when it makes sense and when it doesn't• Why Europe struggles to produce venture-scale outcomes compared to the US• Lessons from investing in founders across Eastern Europe, Israel, and the United States• How founders should think about acquisitions, secondary sales, and liquidityOne of Alex's most memorable observations:"People know how to spray and pray money. People have no idea how to exit."Whether you're a founder, angel investor, VC, or simply interested in how successful technology companies are built and sold, this episode offers a candid look at what happens after the fundraising headlines.Guest:Alex KonoplyastyFounder & General Partner, Flashpoint CapitalAbout TRVCTRVC (The Turkish VC Podcast) explores venture capital, startups, entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation through conversations with leading investors, founders, and ecosystem builders from Turkey and around the world.Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the future of technology and venture capital.#VC #VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #FlashpointVC #AlexKonoplyasty #TRVC #SaaS #B2B #VentureDebt #PrivateEquity #Technology #Investing

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