Numan Numan

212 Updates #181 | Mar 30th As we pass the one-quarter mark of 2026, our finance team has already completed two out of three fund audits with external auditors. A big kudos to their hard work and discipline. This is another element of our work that... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #180 | Mar 23rd Last week, we attended the Invest Europe Investors’ Summit. This year’s attendance was noticeably lower than previous years, roughly half of its peak in 2022. Despite that, it was still valuable to hear perspectives on... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #179 | Mar 16th I will be traveling over the next two weeks. This week, Idil and I are in Geneva attending the Invest Europe event, and next week we will be in Warsaw for the CEE VC Summit. These gatherings are always valuable opportunities... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #178 | Mar 9th In our work as venture capital investors, we partner with founders who are building their dreams in environments filled with uncertainty. Startups naturally face many types of risk: product, team, market, and sometimes... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #176 | Feb 23rd While it seemed like a relatively quiet week in terms of announcements, internally it was anything but. Every week, we sit across from founders who are building with courage and ambition. Listening to their stories, why they... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #176 | Feb 23rd The last couple of weeks, including this week, have been heavily focused on operational work. Between year-end closings, board meetings, audits, and reporting, our teams have been spending a significant amount of time on... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #175 | Feb 16th I've been in Ankara since last Thursday for a series of meetings. I will be back in Istanbul tomorrow after wrapping up today’s schedule. Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city (home to nearly one-fifth of the country’s population)... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #174 | Feb 9th I’m back in Istanbul after spending several days in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. While Idil and I attended the MEVCA Investor Summit, Maher, Selma and Can were in Doha for Web Summit Doha. Overall, we are very happy with... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #173 | Feb 2nd Last week, RF completed its sixth investment, and we’ve already wired the funds to the company. Once the company makes its public announcement, I’ll be happy to share the details here. This week, our focus shifts to the GCC open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #171 | Jan 19th Last Tuesday, we had our 2026 New Year Gathering. It was great to see so many of you there in person, a strong start to the year with the full team energy. Thanks to everyone who joined us, and for those who couldn’t make it... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #170 | Jan 12th After a short break, we’re officially back in the office. It’s only been a week, but somehow it already feels like a month. My first trip of 2026 was to Gaziantep, where I had the pleasure of attending the Gaziantep Angel... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #169 | Dec 22nd The end of the year is just around the corner. While we continue working through final paperwork for investments, we’re also getting ready for a well deserved break. Our office will be closed during the week... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #168 | Dec 15th I caught a Friday night flight back as soon as I wrapped up two board meetings in New York. It’s genuinely good to be back. I love the city, but I can’t say I missed the freezing weather or the holiday-season crowds... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #166 | Dec 1st Today is our bi-annual Pit Stop Day, something we started last December to give the entire 212 team a chance to pause, reflect, and realign. This is our third edition (after December 2024 and April 2025), and I continue to... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #165 | Nov 24th It’s only Monday and already shaping up to be a vibrant and fast-paced week. While we’re on the road, we’re also working closely on five new investment rounds across our portfolio that are expected to close soon. This momentum.. open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #164 | Nov 17th While we’ve been actively focused on fundraising, new investments, and supporting portfolio companies with their upcoming rounds, this week’s finance team meeting brought up a different (but very important) topic: “Audits”... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #163 | Nov 10th This week, we’ll be attending the Go Global Türkiye event. When we launched 212 nearly 15 years ago, Turkish founders had little to no footprint in global markets. There was exceptional talent, but limited visibility or... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #162 | Nov 3rd Taking advantage of the short week, I finally had the chance to clear my inbox and catch up on emails // a rare but satisfying feeling 😎 // Last week, we attended the Techstars Istanbul launch event. I’m genuinely looking... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #160 | Oct 20th I’m in the U.S. this week, focusing on meetings and events along the East Coast. I started in Virginia for a board meeting and will soon head to New York City, where I will join Kıvanç for more meetings with founders… open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…

212 Updates #158 | Oct 6th After two incredible events back-to-back, I’m back in the office this week, catching up on emails, follow-ups, and everything in between. It’s always a bit of a reset after being out in the field, but it also... open.substack.com/pub/numan/p/21…