Entrepreneurship Dynamics: Current Outlook and Stories from the Field

Date: March 12, 2026 - Thursday

Time: 13:30-16:00

Place: santralistanbul Campus, ÇSM-403

Click for event registration form.

Panel Speakers

Dr. Kutay Güneştepe – ITU ARI Teknokent / Istanbul Bilgi University
Kaan Yapıcı – Co-Founder, Beespenser
Tunç Rüştü Erman – Co-Founder, OneNewOne
Arda Koterin – Insider
Zeynep Şener – Simya VC
Necmeddin Zahid Şirin – APY Ventures
Özge İlhan – KPMG Türkiye, M&A

Panel Details

In recent years, the Turkish startup ecosystem has gained significant momentum in terms of investment volume and international visibility. In this panel, entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem analysts will come together to discuss the current state and future of entrepreneurship in Türkiye from multiple perspectives.

While founders will share their experiences from the field, investors will provide insights into fund strategies and investment decision-making processes. From the ecosystem analysis perspective, data-driven insights and key findings from industry reports will also be discussed.

Biographies

Dr. Kutay Güneştepe

Dr. Kutay Güneştepe is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Business at Istanbul Bilgi University and the Director of Operations and Project Development at ITU ARI Teknokent. His research focuses on how digital technologies shape organizational processes and the interactions within entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. He holds a PhD from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Bath.

Kaan Yapıcı

Kaan Yapıcı is the Co-Founder and CEO of Beespenser. He develops additive manufacturing solutions and conductive ink technologies for the rapid and high-quality production of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible electronics. He holds a master’s degree in Materials Science and Nano Engineering from Sabancı University and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from Istanbul Technical University.

Tunç Rüştü Erman

Tunç Rüştü Erman is the Co-Founder of OneNewOne. He works in the field of sustainability and impact-driven entrepreneurship, focusing on integrating social impact into scalable business models.

Arda Koterin

Arda Koterin is the Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Insider. Since 2012, he has been leading the company’s global growth and customer experience strategies, working on scaling SaaS business models and data-driven growth. He graduated from the Istanbul Bilgi University & London School of Economics (LSE) Business and Economics Program (2005–2009). He has played an active role in Insider’s market entry and scaling processes across different geographies and has been one of the key figures in the company’s global growth journey.

Necmeddin Zahid Şirin

Necmeddin Zahid Şirin is a member of the investment team at APY Ventures. He focuses on early- and growth-stage investments and actively contributes to financial analysis, due diligence, and portfolio management processes. He holds a degree in Economics from Istanbul Bilgi University.

Zeynep Şener

Zeynep Şener is an Associate at Simya VC, the early-stage accelerator fund of 212. She focuses on early-stage B2B technology investments and takes part in investment analysis and due diligence processes. She graduated from Sabancı University with a degree in Business Administration and completed minors in Finance, Business Analytics, and Entrepreneurship.

Özge İlhan

Özge İlhan is the Head of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and a Partner at KPMG Türkiye. She has over 10 years of experience in M&A advisory and strategic transaction services, providing advisory services to both domestic and international companies as well as private equity funds across various sectors. She graduated from Koç University with a degree in Business Administration (2005–2010). She also plays an active role in reports and analytical studies on startup investments and deal dynamics in Türkiye.