In the past weeks, with the support of Zorlu Holding and in collaboration with La French Tech Istanbul, we hosted our event, “Novus Meetups: Startup, Growth & Beyond.”
A Journey Through Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is a long journey.
At some point, you take your first steps, mature your ideas, focus on growth, and eventually aim to find your place globally. That’s exactly the kind of journey we focused on in this warm, inspiring edition of Meetups.
This time, our guests were Ömer Hantal and İlker Temuzkuş — two experienced entrepreneurs who’ve been creating value in the ecosystem for years. The conversation was moderated by Vorga Can, CRO of Novus, whose questions brought even more depth to the discussion.
During the session, we talked about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, how to distinguish good strategies from bad ones over time, and why maintaining sustainable balance during growth truly matters.
Ömer Hantal emphasized how even “wrong decisions made at the right time” can turn into valuable lessons, while İlker Temuzkuş highlighted patience and consistency as key factors in the path to successful branding.
Thanks to Vorga’s moderation, the discussion didn’t just stay on the strategic side, it also touched on the human and emotional sides of entrepreneurship.
Challenges, breakthroughs, right and wrong turns, success stories… every sentence offered a new perspective for the audience.
Among the participants were founders at every stage of their journey, some on the verge of starting their first startup, others preparing for their investment rounds.
But they all shared one thing in common: curiosity, passion, and the will to share.
And that’s exactly why our Meetups community keeps growing stronger every month.
İlker Temuzkuşu, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Manager at Vestel Ventures & Board Member at Gelecek Etki VC
A New Format This Time!
As always, there was a networking session but this time, we added a fireside chat format to enrich the event.
This setup made the conversation feel more intimate and created a natural dialogue where participants could directly engage with our guests, ask their own questions, and contribute to an open, collaborative atmosphere.
By the end, this lively energy carried over to the networking area new connections were made, and plenty of ideas were exchanged.
Looks like this format is here to stay!
Stay Tuned for the Next Event!
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See you at the next Meetups!
