212

Buh-bye 2024! What an incredible year! 🎉 2024 has been nothing short of amazing—full of wins, growth, and some amazing exits. None of this would’ve been possible without our remarkable investors. And to our portfolio companies: your grit and accomplishments keep us inspired every single day. 💪✨ Here are some fund highlights that made 2024 unforgettable: •⁠ ⁠#1 Türkiye-Focused Fund: 212 Fund I achieved the highest DPI among Türkiye-focused venture capital funds, delivering exceptional performance and investor returns. 🌟 •⁠ ⁠Türkiye’s First Secondary VC Fund Transaction: We executed the country’s first fund secondaries transaction in partnership with Isomer Capital, delivering participating LPs over 2x cash returns. 🚀 •⁠ ⁠3 New Funds, New Faces: We launched three new funds—212 NexT, 212 Ünlü GSYF, and Simya VC Fund II—and strengthened our team with incredible new members, including Ebru Elmas Gurses as CFO and three analysts joining us Tanzila Sharifli, Zeynep Şener, Ali Naci Temel 💼✨ And here are some portfolio highlights that made us proud this year: •⁠ ⁠Insider’s Stellar Partial Exit: $500M Series E led by General Atlantic → 56x MOIC and 63% IRR on our partial stake, validating our early conviction. 🌟 •⁠ ⁠123FormBuilder Early Win: 4-year sprint to profitable exit → Kiteworks acquisition delivers 2.5x returns and 29% IRR on investment. 💥 •⁠ ⁠Trio Mobil’s 3-Year Growth Sprint: Secured $26.5M from NewSpring Growth → 4x valuation leap in just 36 months post-investment. 🚀 •⁠ ⁠SOCRadar® Extended Threat Intelligence’s Rocket Ship: 4x ARR boost + 10x international sales surge → Landed $25M Series B led by PeakSpan Capital. 🌍 A special thanks to our incredible team for their outstanding work behind the scenes. Here’s to making 2025 even bigger and bolder! 🚀

📩 Newsletter Alert 📩 Our March newsletter is here, and this month, we’re diving into embedded finance. 💳 Gone are the days of relying solely on traditional banks—financial services are now seamlessly integrated into businesses of all sizes, from unicorns to freelancers. 🦄 We sat down with Keyrails, our portfolio company specializing in embedded finance, to discuss how they’re tackling cross-border payments 🌍 and high transaction fees. Aside from our main topic, if you're curious about what’s happening within the 212 team—from key updates to where we’ve been—don’t forget to check out our full newsletter! 💌 P.S. We have some exciting news, you might want to check out 👀 🔗 Link: https://lnkd.in/d7N2Uika

Check this out 👇🏻 A fresh and fun addition to your weekly reading stack.

Türkiye’nin en tecrübeli yatırımcılarından Ali Karabey'in (212), girişimcilere verdiği 150+ tavsiyeyi okuma şansı buldum. Çıkarılabilecek bazı dersler şu şekilde: Girişimcilik 101: Temel Taşlarını Doğru Diz - En büyük sermayen zamanın ve enerjin. Bunları har vurup harman savurma; her adımda özen göster. - Hangi riskleri aldın? Kendin risk almadıysan, neden bir yatırımcı alsın? - Probleme aşık ol, çözüme değil. Pivot etmekten utanma, olmayacak projeyi bırakacak cesaretin olsun. - Kısa vadeli düşünmek girişimcinin doğasına aykırı. Ölçeklenebilir hedefler koy, dayanıklılığı hızın önüne al. - Fikrini olabildiğince paylaş; kolayca kopyalanıyorsa, zaten peşinden koşmaya değmez. - Dakik ol, sunduğun her dosyada titiz ol. Özen, işinin vitrinidir. 2. Ekip ve Ortaklık: Yolda Kiminle Yürüdüğün - Yatırımcı size yatırım yapıyor. Hatalar ve zorluklar kaçınılmaz; ekip olarak bunlarla başa çıkabileceğinizi gösterin. - Ahlakına güvenmediğin insanlarla yola çıkma. Zorluklarda hendekleri birlikte aşacaksın. - “Ucuz insanlarla tasarruf etmeye çalışmak en büyük hatamdı.” - Talent pipeline > Sales pipeline - Ortaklıkta hisse dağılımı adil ve geleceğe dönük olmalı. Ortak hedefler yoksa, sözleşme bile sizi kurtaramayabilir. - Başarın tek bir kişiye bağlıysa, sürdürülebilir değildir. Organizasyonun bağımsız büyüyebilmelidir. 3. Daha Önceki Destekçiler: Güvenin Kanıtı - Sana daha önce burs veren, mentorluk yapan birileri varsa bunu söyle. Bu, başkalarının sana zaman ve enerji yatırdığının göstergesidir. - Yatırımcılar için önemli olan, fikrinden çok sana kimlerin kefil olduğu. Geçmiş destekçilerin hikayene değer katar. 4. Yatırım ve Sunum: Masaya Hazır Gel - Para, paraya ihtiyacın yokken aranır. İhtiyacın olduğunda kapılar kapanır. - Yatırım almak istediğin VC’yi iyi tanı; daha önce yatırım yaptıklarıyla konuş. İşler kötüye giderken nasıl davrandıklarına bak. - Sunumun şirketine biçtiğin değer kadar kaliteli olmalı. Tek slide’la özetin ne olurdu? O slide’la başla. - Rakamlarına, sebeplerine, hedeflerine hakim ol. Şeffaf ol, B planın cebinde olsun. - Yatırımcıdan sadece para değil, network iste. Ürününü test edebileceğin müşterilere seni ulaştırmasını talep et. - Yatırım almadan önce her ay gelişmeleri paylaş; ne kadar ilerlediğini kanıtla. Unutma: VC’ler de yanılır, yazılı sözler al. Ali Karabey ile tanıştığımda bana şunu söylemişti: “Yatırım yaparken asıl mesele, karşındaki girişimciyle çalışmayı yürekten isteyip istemediğim ve bu yolculuğu uzun soluklu sürdürüp sürdüremeyeceğimiz.” Benim çıkarımım şu: Başarı, tutku kadar güvenle inşa ediliyor. Bitirmeden özetin bana ait olduğunu ve Ali Karabey'in düşüncelerini tam olarak yanıstmayabileceğini not etmek isterim. Tavsiyelerin tamamını ve bu yolda ilham alabileceğiniz bazı kaynakları aşağıda paylaşıyorum: > Ali’nin kendi kaleminden: https://lnkd.in/de_P45TA > İlişkiler üzerine: İnsanları Etkileme ve Dost Kazanma Sanatı > Yolda rehber: The Lean Startup

Happy International Women’s Day! 🌸 Today, we celebrate the outstanding women who inspire, lead, and drive change across industries and communities. From innovative leaders to everyday changemakers, their contributions are shaping a brighter and more inclusive future for all. Let’s take this moment to reflect on the importance of empowering and supporting women, not just today, but every day. 🌍 💫  

Choosing between white and black is easy—success is the goal, failure the setback. But what about the grays? The moments in between, where the path isn’t clear and the outcome uncertain? Success isn’t a straight line—it’s persistence, adaptability, and motion. You can’t predict it, but you can stay in the game long enough to catch it. Failure, however, is predictable—and avoidable. 🌱 If you're curious about how this applies to entrepreneurs and startups, take a look at Ali Karabey's article— worth your weekend read! 📖 🔗https://lnkd.in/guX73pvr

Happy to be back! 🎊 Gaziantep, a key industrial hub in Anatolia, is taking bold steps toward digital transformation, and as 212, we're thrilled to be here for the second time this year to support the local investment ecosystem. At the panel in Gaziantep, moderated by İbrahim Acıoğlu, Numan Numan and Orkun Saitogluğlu shared the inspiring journey of iyzico, one of our portfolio’s crown companies from Fund I. Numan emphasized that when 212 first invested in iyzico, the company was a small 7-person team, working tirelessly to redefine the payments landscape. Today, it stands as a 450-strong company, having achieved remarkable growth and success. 📈 We’re committed to supporting the region’s ecosystem and driving innovation, with the goal of seeing more companies like iyzico emerge. Special thanks to TOBB Gaziantep Genç Girişimciler Kurulu and Abdulkadir Koçer for the organization, and to Gaziantep Ticaret Odası for their support! 👏

🌟 CEE VC Summit by Vestbee is back, bringing together top investors, LPs, and founders to shape the future of venture capital. And we’re back for another year! This year, Numan Numan, General Partner at 212, will be sharing valuable perspectives on the evolving VC landscape during the "Flipping to Us" panel in Warsaw on March 25-26, 2025. CEE VC Summit is more than just about CEE—it’s a global stage where capital meets opportunity. Who else is heading to Warsaw? 🇵🇱 Ping Numan if you want to meet and chat—maybe a coffee? ☕

At the 4+1 ClimAccelerator Closing Ceremony, 212’s Numan Numan joined the panel “Time to Rethink Investment as a Strategy: What Is Wrong with Our Investment Approach and How Key Stakeholders Can Fix It”, moderated by Semiramis Kulak. As an investor, Numan shared his insights on the evolving climate tech landscape, emphasizing the need for a more strategic and impact-driven investment approach. He highlighted the challenges startups face in scaling climate solutions, the importance of long-term capital, and the role of investors in bridging the gap between innovation and market adoption. 💡 🌱 What is 4+1 ClimAccelerator ? This program brings together startups, investors, corporate partners, and key stakeholders from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkiye, and beyond to tackle global climate challenges. Exciting discussions, bold ideas, and a shared commitment to a sustainable future—this is just the beginning!🌏

Fundraising Alert! Flow48 Secures USD 69M Series A to Expand into Saudi Arabia Flow48, a Dubai and London-based fintech providing financing for small and medium-sized enterprises has raised a USD 69m, a combination of debt and equity, was led by BREEGA and has seen further investments from 212, Speedinvest, daphni, Endeavor Catalyst, Evolution Ventures, and Plus VC (+VC), among others, according to a company press release. The fintech is planning to use the proceeds in expanding into Saudi Arabia and strengthen its market presence in South Africa and the UAE. Co-founded in 2022 by Idriss Al Rifai, Flow48 is aiming to redefine SME financing by building a seamless capital infrastructure that transforms future revenues into immediate working capital. Operating across the GCC and Africa (UAE, South Africa, and now Saudi Arabia), Flow48 goes beyond lending, integrating a data-driven ecosystem that enhances underwriting capabilities for both SMEs and financial institutions, its press release noted. Personal note: I had the chance to interview Idriss in November 2023 for Mergermarket, on the growth plans and he said the fintech was planning to raise USD 60m to UD 80m in the next 12 months. What he told me in the interview have become a reality and on time.