Startup Istanbul

Startup Istanbul

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AI Changed the Startup Game. Founders Need to Catch Up.
What worked a few years ago does not work the same way anymore.
 • Burak Buyukdemir
The Core Truth
A startup is not a small company. It's a search mission. Here's what Steve Blank taught us at Startup Istanbul.
 • Burak Buyukdemir
A Note From the Field: Stop Playing Founder
Board meetings won't save you. Product-market fit will.
 • Burak Buyukdemir
The Salary Trap: Why Founders and Early Employees Must Think Differently About Compensation
How to pay yourself, hire your first team, and use equity without guessing
 • Burak Buyukdemir
3 Slides Kill Your Deck
Ed Kang from Startups.com revealed the 3 slides that make or break your deck in seconds. Here's what investors actually see — and what makes them close…
 • Burak Buyukdemir
Do You Really Have PMF?
5 tests, 20 signals, and one uncomfortable question every founder needs to answer honestly.
 • Burak Buyukdemir
Don't hire corporate tourists
Big profile. Startup title. Corporate salary. Zero skin in the game. That’s not a believer. That’s a tourist. Don’t hire them in early stage.
 • Burak Buyukdemir
Everything YC Teaches In One Conversation
Michael Seibel packed all of YC's startup wisdom into 14 slides. Here are the 9 principles every founder needs — with lessons from 26+ years of…
 • Burak Buyukdemir
The #1 Cognitive Bias Killing Your Startup
Why past investment is costing you your future
 • Burak Buyukdemir

February 2026

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