Join the GO! GLOBAL Türkiye SUMMIT 2026

GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit 2026 Agenda

22-23-24 OCTOBER | Istanbul

Day 1: Founder’s Force Day Bilişim Vadisi, Vadi İstanbul Office

Ecosystem partner:

09:15 – 10:00

Registration & Networking Breakfast

10:00 – 10:15

Opening & Welcoming Remarks

Erkam TüzgenGeneral Manager Bilişim Vadisi

Aslı Kurul TürkmenManaging PartnerEndeavor Türkiye

Barış ÇuvalcıDeputy Secretary GeneralDEİK

10:15 – 10:35

How to Raise Capital for Global Scale

A founder’s perspective on aligning fundraising with long-term ambition, choosing partners, and preparing a company for its next stage of growth.

Hande ÇilingirDigital Task Force Leader / Co-Founder & CEOTAİK / Insider One

10:35 - 10:45

Terminal Istanbul Presentation

10:45 – 11:15

Rearchitecting Enterprise Software for the AI Era

Explore how AI is reshaping software, workflows, and business models, and what this transformation means for founders building the next generation of applications.

Moderator:

Başak ZorlutunaPrincipale2vc

Speakers:

Zafer KaracaGeneral ManagerIBM

Emre OkçularLead Applied AI EngineerOpenAI

Derya İşlerAI ExecutiveSalesforce

11:15 – 11:30

Coffee Break

Take a coffee break and continue the conversations sparked by the morning sessions.

11:30 – 12:00

Defining a New Category in Generative Media

A conversation on building Fal.ai, navigating a rapidly evolving market, and creating a company around new possibilities in generative media.

Moderator:

Enis HulliGeneral Partnere2vc

Speaker:

Görkem YurtsevenCo-FounderFal.ai

12:00 – 12:30

Building a Consumer Business in a High-Stakes Market

Explore the decisions behind building Midas, from earning customer trust to balancing product experience, growth, and the demands of a regulated market.

Moderator:

İhsan ElginCEOFinberg

Speaker:

Egem EraslanCEOMidas

12:30 – 13:00

Winning Across Multiple Markets and Scaling Globally

A practical look at entering the US market, finding the right customers, and turning early conversations into commercial traction.

Moderator:

Ege KurtEntrepreneur Selection & Growth DirectorEndeavor Türkiye

Speaker:

Haktan EllezPartnerInsider One

13:00 – 13:45

Working Lunch Break

Connect with fellow attendees over lunch, exchange ideas, and continue conversations from the morning.

13:45 - 14:15

Building a Company Global Investors Can Underwrite

Discuss how investors assess readiness for global growth, including market opportunity, governance, business fundamentals, and the credibility of expansion plans.

Moderator:

Aslı Kurul TürkmenManaging DirectorEndeavor Türkiye

Speaker:

Fadi GhandourExecutive ChairmanWamda Capital

14:15 - 14:45

Raising Capital for Global Scale

Three investors discuss how they assess global ambition, business fundamentals, and execution, and what founders should bring to their next raise.

Moderator:

Nil SarıtepeDirector of Americas Business CouncilsDEİK

Speakers:

Enis HulliGeneral Partnere2vc

Ali KarabeyPartner212

Cenk BayrakdarFounding PartnerRevo Capital

Görkem TürkFounding PartnerLaton Ventures

Merve Zabcı General Partner Metis Ventures

14:45 – 15:00

Coffee Break

15:00 – 15:30

Concurrent Roundtables

Roundtable -1: Finding the Next Opportunities in Generative Media Explore emerging opportunities in generative media, underserved customer needs, and where founders can build differentiated products as capabilities evolve.

W/ Görkem YurtsevenCo-FounderFal.ai

Roundtable-2: Building AI for the Physical World Discuss the challenges of bringing intelligence into physical systems, from reliability and real-world constraints to moving beyond the prototype.

W/ Mahmut DemirSWEApple

Roundtable-3: Building Consumer Products People Keep Coming Back To Discuss how clear user value, thoughtful product design, and a focus on retention can turn initial curiosity into repeat usage.

W/ Yunus EmreChief AI OfficerHubX

Roundtable-4: What Makes an AI Deployment Worth Scaling? Examine how to select meaningful AI use cases, evaluate performance, and decide when an early deployment is ready for broader use.

W/ Emre OkçularLead Applied AI EngineerOpen AI

Roundtable-5: Taking AI Research from Lab to Market Explore how research becomes a commercial opportunity, from identifying useful applications to validating demand and taking the first steps toward company building.

W/ Ömer GüneşJunior Research FellowOxford University

15:30 – 15:45

Coffee Break

15:45 – 16:15

Concurrent Roundtables

Roundtable -1: Moving AI from Pilots to Business Impact Discuss what helps AI initiatives move beyond experimentation, including organizational readiness, implementation priorities, and measuring value in everyday operations.

W/ Zafer KaracaGeneral ManagerIBM

Roundtable-2: Turning AI Capabilities into Enterprise Adoption Explore how to turn technical capabilities into enterprise usage through useful workflows, integration, customer trust, and measurable business value.

W/ Derya İşler AI Executive Salesforce

Roundtable-3: Fundraising Discuss the traction, milestones, and evidence investors look for, and how to prepare a clear investment case for the next round.

W/ Enis Hulli General Partner E2vc

Roundtable-4: Fundraising

W/ Cenk Bayrakdar Founding Partner Revo Capital

Roundtable-5: Fundraising

W/ Ali Karabey Partner 212

Roundtable-6: Fundraising

W/ Merve Zabcı General Partner Metis Ventures

16:15 – 17:00

Networking

Reconnect with speakers and fellow attendees, follow up on ideas, and explore opportunities to work together.

19:00 – 21:30

Investor Welcoming Dinner (Sponsor-only)

A warm gathering to welcome guests, foster connections, and celebrate the beginning of a successful event.

Day 2: Summit Divan Kuruçeşme, İstanbul

08:30 – 09:30

Registration & Networking Breakfast

09:30 – 09:45

Opening Remarks: Building the Next Generation of Legendary Tech Companies

The next generation of legendary technology companies will not necessarily emerge from the world's traditional technology hubs. As AI changes the economics of building and scaling businesses, founders have new opportunities to compete globally from day one. Opening GO! GLOBAL Türkiye 2026, Hande Çilingir, Co-founder and CEO of Insider One, shares the ambition behind bringing the world's leading investors, technology leaders, and entrepreneurs together in Istanbul—and what it will take to build globally defining companies from Türkiye.

Hande ÇilingirDigital Task Force Leader / Co-Founder & CEOTAİK / Insider One

09:45 – 09:50

Technology, Trade & Türkiye’s Global Competitiveness

Technology is increasingly shaping global trade, investment flows, and economic competitiveness. For Türkiye, the opportunity extends beyond building successful startups to creating technology companies that can compete internationally and strengthen the country's position in the global economy. This opening address explores the relationship between technology, international trade, and investment—and the role that stronger connections between Türkiye and global business networks can play in accelerating the next generation of growth.

Murat ÖzyeğinChairmanDEİK/Türkiye–U.S. Business Council (TAİK)

09:50 – 09:55

Opening Remarks: From Entrepreneurs to Global Leaders

Building a successful company is one challenge. Turning it into a global leader is another. The transition requires more than capital: founders need access to international networks, experienced operators, new markets, and the right relationships at the right time. Drawing on Endeavor's experience supporting high-impact entrepreneurs around the world, this opening address explores how entrepreneurial ecosystems create companies that scale beyond their home markets—and how successful founders can help build the next generation of global leaders.

Emre KurttepeliChairmanEndeavor Türkiye

10:00 – 10:15

Türkiye’s Technology Ambition on the Global Stage

Türkiye's technology ecosystem has entered a new chapter, with entrepreneurs building internationally competitive businesses across software, AI, fintech, gaming, and other emerging sectors. The next challenge is turning this momentum into sustained global leadership. This keynote explores Türkiye's ambitions as a global technology and innovation hub, the opportunities emerging from its growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the role of talent, investment, and international partnerships in building the next generation of globally competitive companies.

Mehmet Fatih KacırMinister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye

10:15 – 10:45

Scaling the Impossible: Lessons from Uber’s Journey to Global Scale

Few companies have challenged the boundaries of global expansion as aggressively as Uber. Its journey from a disruptive startup to a global technology platform offers lessons in entering new markets, navigating regulatory complexity, allocating capital, and building a business designed to operate at extraordinary scale. Balaji Krishnamurthy, CFO of Uber, shares perspectives from Uber's journey and the strategic and financial decisions behind global expansion, operational discipline, and sustainable growth.

Moderator:

Hande ÇilingirDigital Task Force Leader / Co-Founder & CEOTAİK / Insider One

Speaker:

Balaji KrishnamurthyCFOUber

10:45 – 11:00

Coffee Break

11:40 – 12:20

Early Stage Investment: The $10M → $100M Problem/Formula

Getting to the first $10 million proves that something is working. Getting to $100 million requires founders to figure out what can actually scale—across product, team, distribution, and markets.
Investors from Speedinvest, Hustle Fund, UTOPIA Capital, Quest Ventures, and MEVP bring perspectives from backing early-stage companies across some of the world’s most dynamic technology markets. Together, they’ll explore what separates companies that break through after early traction from those that stall, when founders should expand beyond their home market, which early signals investors pay closest attention to, and what needs to change in the company—and in the founder—as the ambition moves from $10 million to $100 million.

Moderator:

Dilek DayınlarlıCo-Founder & Managing PartnerScaleX Ventures

Panelists:

Alvaro PerezcanoPrincipalSpeedinvest

Haley BryantGeneral PartnerHustle Fund

Alina TruhinaFounding & Managing partnerUtopia Ventures

James TanManaging PartnerQuest Ventures

Walid MansourCo-Founder & Co- CEOMEVP

12:20 – 13:00

Growth Stage Investment: Scaling Beyond Borders: The Growth Investor's Playbook

Product-market fit and early traction are only the beginning. As technology companies enter their growth stage, the questions become more complex: which markets deserve investment, how quickly should the organization expand, and what does it take to build a business that can sustain growth across geographies? Leading growth investors come together to examine the decisions that separate regional success stories from global category leaders. Drawing on their experience backing and scaling technology businesses, they will explore how investors assess international expansion, the metrics that matter beyond revenue growth, the leadership transitions required at scale, and what makes a company ready for its next major chapter.

Moderator:

İhsan ElginExecutive Board Member & CEOFinberg

Panelists:

Mina MutafchievaPartnerHV Capital

Joe de PinhoPartnerRiverwood Capital

Sascha GuentherManaging Director and Head of DACHGeneral Atlantic

Soumaya Ben BayaPartnerRasmal Ventures

Melis Kahya Akar Managing Director & Head of Consumer for EMEAGeneral Atlantic

Udayan GoyalCo-Founder and Co-Managing PartnerApis Partners

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch Break

14:00 – 14:20

Keynote Remarks

Nail OlpakPresidentDEİK

Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat (tbc) Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye

14:20 – 14:50

Why & How Turks Can Build the Next Generation of Global Tech Leaders in AI and Software

Türkiye has produced exceptional technical talent and globally ambitious entrepreneurs. Now, as AI lowers barriers to building and distributing technology, the opportunity to create category-defining companies from Türkiye is becoming even more significant. Serhat Soyuerel, Co-founder and CRO of Insider One, and Görkem Yurtseven, Co-founder and CTO of fal, join Enis Hulli, General Partner at e2vc, to examine what it takes to turn that potential into global leadership. Drawing on their experiences building and backing internationally competitive companies, they'll discuss how founders can win customers and capital abroad, compete with established global players, and build businesses designed for international markets from the outset.

Moderator:

Enis HulliGeneral Partnere2vc

Speakers:

Serhat SoyuerelCo-Founder & CROInsider One

Görkem YurtsevenCo-FounderFal.ai

14:50 – 15:10

Financing Global Scale: Capital Beyond Venture

As companies move from high-growth startups to global businesses, the way they finance growth becomes increasingly complex. Venture and growth equity are only part of the equation: founders must decide when to raise equity, take on debt, finance acquisitions, create liquidity, or begin preparing for the public markets.

Moderator:

Erman KalkandelenCEOFranklin Templeton Türkiye

Speakers:

Akbank (tbd)

Thierry JenarGlobal Industry Head for Digital, Tech & CommsCiti

Mike KenworthyManaging DirectorMorgan Stanley

15:10 – 15:50

Beyond Scaling: Where the Next AI Breakthroughs Will Come From

For much of the past decade, progress in AI has been driven by a powerful formula: more data, more compute, and larger models. But as AI moves beyond research labs into real-world applications, a bigger question is emerging: where will the next breakthroughs come from?
Bringing together experts from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Harvard University, IBM, Salesforce, and Apple, this session explores the next frontiers of artificial intelligence. From advances in reasoning and new model architectures to robotics, autonomous systems, and enterprise AI, the conversation will examine where today's technologies are reaching their limits, which emerging approaches hold the greatest promise, and what the next generation of AI could make possible.

Moderator:

Ayhan ŞebinHead of AI Product IncubationIBM

Speakers:

Zafer KaracaGeneral ManagerIBM

Emre OkçularSenior Applied AI EngineerOpenAI

Derya İşlerAI ExecutiveSalesforce

Mahmut DemirRobotics Software EngineerApple

Cengiz PehlevanAssistant professorHarvard University

Yusuf EfeSenior Research EngineerGoogle DeepMind

Yunus EmreChief AI OfficerHubX

16:00 – 16:15

Coffee Break

16:15 – 18:00

One-on-One VC & Founder Matching

Structured networking sessions between founders and global investors. Curated by Endeavor

19:00 – 21:30

LP/VC Dinner (Sponsor-only)

A special evening bringing together distinguished guests and participants to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Summit and strengthen connections.

Day 3: LP/VC Day: Building Long-Term Capital Partnerships Hilton the Bosphorus, İstanbul

09:30 – 10:00

Registration & Networking Breakfast

10:00 – 10:01

Opening Remarks

Murat Özyeğin Chairman DEİK/Türkiye–U.S. Business Council (TAİK)

10:01 –10:20

Keynote Remarks

Mehmet Şimşek (tbc)Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye

10:20 – 10:50

Fireside chat with Mehmet Şimşek (tbc), Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye

10:50 – 11:00

Q&A

11:00 – 11:30

Coffee Break & Networking

11:30 – 12:00

Panel: International LPs on Emerging Markets

Global investors discuss what excites them about Türkiye and the region

12:00 – 13:00

Power Circles: LPs & VCs in Dialogue

Small-group dialogues with LP and VC perspectives

13:00 – 13:15

Where the world’s top-tier LPs, VCs, entrepreneurs, and tech makers unite to build generational companies

In Istanbul, the global crossroads where East meets West.

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis

2026 Sponsors

2026 Investors

Keynote Speakers

Balaji Krishnamurthy

2026 Speakers

Start Date: 23 October 2026

2026 Prominent Speakers

GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit 2026 Agenda

Day 1: Founder’s Force Day Bilişim Vadisi, Vadi İstanbul Office

Ecosystem partner:

Registration & Networking Breakfast

Opening & Welcoming Remarks

How to Raise Capital for Global Scale

Terminal Istanbul Presentation

Rearchitecting Enterprise Software for the AI Era

Coffee Break

Defining a New Category in Generative Media

Building a Consumer Business in a High-Stakes Market

Winning Across Multiple Markets and Scaling Globally

Working Lunch Break

Building a Company Global Investors Can Underwrite

Raising Capital for Global Scale

Coffee Break

Concurrent Roundtables

Coffee Break

Concurrent Roundtables

Networking

Investor Welcoming Dinner (Sponsor-only)

Day 2: Summit Divan Kuruçeşme, İstanbul

Registration & Networking Breakfast

Opening Remarks: Building the Next Generation of Legendary Tech Companies

Technology, Trade & Türkiye’s Global Competitiveness

Opening Remarks: From Entrepreneurs to Global Leaders

Türkiye’s Technology Ambition on the Global Stage

Scaling the Impossible: Lessons from Uber’s Journey to Global Scale

Coffee Break

Early Stage Investment: The $10M → $100M Problem/Formula

Growth Stage Investment: Scaling Beyond Borders: The Growth Investor's Playbook

Lunch Break

Keynote Remarks

Why & How Turks Can Build the Next Generation of Global Tech Leaders in AI and Software

Financing Global Scale: Capital Beyond Venture

Beyond Scaling: Where the Next AI Breakthroughs Will Come From

Coffee Break

One-on-One VC & Founder Matching

LP/VC Dinner (Sponsor-only)

Day 3: LP/VC Day: Building Long-Term Capital Partnerships Hilton the Bosphorus, İstanbul

Registration & Networking Breakfast

Opening Remarks

Keynote Remarks

Fireside chat with Mehmet Şimşek (tbc), Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye

Q&A

Coffee Break & Networking

Panel: International LPs on Emerging Markets

Power Circles: LPs & VCs in Dialogue

Closing

DIGITAL TASK FORCE MEMBERS