Beyond the Hype: Qrambo Builds What LLMs Alone Cannot
Proud to Announce Our Investment in Qrambo We at 212 VC are proud to have backed Qrambo in their pre-seed round. I am very happy that we will be partnering with Mert Küçük, Baransel Soysal and Kubilay Ekşioğlu as they build the next generation of human-in-the-loop AI systems. Large language models have created enormous excitement, yet leading AI researchers consistently remind us […]
Freya
Freya provides a platform for building secure, humanlike voice AI agents that automate complex phone workflows for businesses.
Reprai
reprai is an AI-powered platform designed to autonomize and optimize the promotional operations of pharmaceutical companies. The platform consists of two core product lines: reREP, which mimics the role of a pharma sales representative, and reTOOLS, which enhances operational efficiency.
Investing in Surveill: Turning an Operational Avalanche into a Scalable Solution
As an investor, I love it when a solution to a problem suddenly becomes crystal clear. Our first conversation with Surveill was exactly one of those moments. Consider this: In highly regulated industries like financial services, every email, tweet, post, or video ad needs reviewing and approval before it goes live. Imagine repeating this process for hundreds […]
The First Investment of Simya 2: reprai!
After successfully completing Simya 1 with 12 investments, we launched our fundraising process for Simya 2 in mid-2024. While advancing our fundraising, we have also continued to meet new startups, conduct evaluations, and hold ongoing discussions with investors. We remain actively involved in the follow-on rounds of our portfolio companies as well. Since the beginning of […]
Top Quartile VC Returns*: Made in Türkiye
Earlier in my career at Morgan Stanley Capital International, I learned to pay close attention to where capital flows — and where it doesn’t. One number still jumps off the page: Türkiye trades at 5x forward earnings. Compare that with Indonesia at 9.6x, Korea at 7.6x, Taiwan at 11.8x, China at 10x, Brazil at 7.3x, India at 20.3x, […]
From Surviving to Outperforming in Emerging Markets
They say the world is becoming more volatile. We say: welcome. When markets swing, currencies crash, or governments shift overnight, most investors freeze. But for those of us who’ve lived and invested through coups, currency shocks, and political chaos, this isn’t the end of the world. It’s Tuesday. As a close friend put it: “The world is starting […]
The Frankenstein Effect: When Founders Are Destroyed by Their Own Creations
“You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!” Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Entrepreneurs create companies with an obsessive drive, pushing forward where others hesitate. But what happens when their own creation turns against them? What happens when the very instincts that made them successful become the reason they fail? The Founder’s Curse: What Got You Here […]
The Illusion of Objectivity: Why Venture Capitalists Should Reject Third-Party Valuations
In the business of venture capital, judgment is the product. It is what we are paid for, and what we are ultimately held accountable to. Yet in some corners of the industry — especially in younger ecosystems like Turkey — there is a tendency to outsource that judgment to third-party valuation firms. This is not just a misstep. It […]
Zero Optionality: Why Emerging Markets Demand Total Commitment
In Silicon Valley, failure is a rite of passage. Founders pivot, investors write off losses, and another round of funding is always within reach. In emerging markets, the calculus is different. Capital is scarcer, exits take longer, and macro volatility is a given. Here, the most successful entrepreneurs operate under a simple principle: zero optionality. Jason […]