Istanbul Ignited by Slush'D Podcast

Don’t Listen to Your Investors Who Tell You To Expand Globally | Abdallah Abu Sheikh

Don’t listen to investors who tell you to expand globally! After exiting his company, Abdallah Abu Sheikh shares a candid perspective on what really matters for founders today: building strong local products, embracing failure, and using AI as a present-day advantage — not a future trend. Recorded at Istanbul Slush’D 2025, this episode features Poddict Media Founder Aykut İbrişim, in conversation with Abdallah Abu Sheikh, exploring how the MENA startup ecosystem is shifting from consumerism to production, why investors often give the wrong advice, and what changes mentally and strategically after a successful exit. Abdallah reflects on ambition after success, team building versus individual brilliance, and why many founders are pushed too early toward global expansion. He also breaks down how AI is already reshaping businesses — leading to smaller teams, lower costs, and a future where agents negotiate on our behalf. This episode offers grounded, experience-driven insights for founders, operators, and investors navigating growth, impact, and innovation across MENA and beyond. ⸻ Timestamps [00:00] – Inside Istanbul Slush’D & the MENA startup energy [02:18] – Why I only want to build impactful businesses [04:01] – The mindset shock after exiting a company [05:49] – Why failure is a skill every founder must learn [07:20] – Team building: hiring brilliant people and letting go [08:45] – Why MENA is moving from consumerism to production [11:46] – “You don’t need to go global to win” [13:10] – Investors are not angels (and why their advice can be wrong) [14:57] – AI is not coming — it’s already here [16:20] – The future of business: agent-to-agent economies Credits   Credits   Host: Aykut İbrişim⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aykutibrisim/] - ⁠Poddict⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]  Co founder  Guest: Abdallah Abu Sheikh [https://ae.linkedin.com/in/abdallahabusheikh] Recorded at:  Istanbul Slush’D 2025⁠ [https://istanbulslushd.com/] – ⁠KoProduction Podcast Studio⁠ [https://www.kolektifhouse.co/ko-production-formu]  Production: Poddict⁠⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]

What Makes Consumer AI Startups Win? Momentum, Speed, Obsession | Bryan Kim

Momentum is the new moat in consumer AI. Recorded at Istanbul Slush’D, this episode features Burcu Ağma in conversation with Bryan Kim, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he focuses on consumer AI and emerging product trends. They discuss what truly sets successful consumer AI founders apart, why obsession and courage matter more than formulas, and how early signals of traction reveal whether a product is going to work. Bryan explains why momentum, the speed and consistency of product velocity and distribution has become the most defensible advantage in today’s AI landscape. The conversation also explores why AI is globalizing faster than the internet, what this means for founders building outside Silicon Valley, and why regions like Turkey have a real opportunity to produce global consumer AI companies. Bryan shares surprising observations about young founders moving into hardware, the shifting balance between craft and speed, and how founders should think about retention, intent, and execution in an era where everything is changing weekly. A must-watch episode for founders, product leaders, and investors building consumer AI products in a fast-moving world. ⸻ Timestamps [00:00] – Consumer AI and founder traits [01:10] – What makes great founders “not normal” [02:22] – Learning from founders, not patterns [02:50] – Early signals of success in consumer products [03:36] – “What do you want users to do?” [04:24] – Intent, behavior, and early retention [05:31] – Momentum as the new moat in consumer AI [06:45] – Why speed beats traditional moats in AI [07:50] – Hard lessons from missed investments [08:55] – Why momentum leads to higher retention [09:40] – Turkey’s potential for global consumer AI [11:07] – AI is globalizing faster than the internet [12:20] – Why founders can build anywhere now [12:55] – The surprise: young founders building hardware [13:32] – Why hardware is becoming exciting again [14:50] – Final advice to consumer AI founders Credits   Host: Burcu Ağma [https://www.linkedin.com/in/burcuagma] - ⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]⁠ Connectmind AI [https://www.connectmind.ai/] Co-Founder Guest: Bryan Kim [https://a16z.com/author/bryan-kim/] - Partner a16z [https://a16z.com/author/bryan-kim/] Recorded at:  Istanbul Slush’D 2025⁠ [https://istanbulslushd.com/] – ⁠KoProduction Podcast Studio⁠ [https://www.kolektifhouse.co/ko-production-formu]  Production: Poddict⁠⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]

Trust Over Valuation: Turkey’s FinTech & AI Ecosystem | Stefan Klestil

In this episode recorded at Istanbul Slush’D, Aykut İbrişim sits down with Stefan Klestil, General Partner at Speedinvest, to explore the Turkish FinTech ecosystem, venture capital, and the realities of building and scaling startups in emerging markets. From early-stage investing to cross-border growth, this conversation examines why Turkey represents a massive standalone ecosystem, powered not only by local talent, but also by a globally connected entrepreneurial diaspora. Recorded live at Istanbul Slush’D 2025, this episode features Stefan Klestil sharing insights from Speedinvest’s experience across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. We discuss why trust is the cornerstone of founder/investor relationships, why valuation should never come at the expense of transparency, and how long-term partnerships are built through crises. The conversation also dives into the impact of AI on venture capital and startup building, the growing role of regulation as a competitive moat in fintech, and why unicorns should be understood as real, profitable companies, not just hype driven milestones. Looking ahead, the episode offers candid advice for aspiring founders: building sustainable, profitable companies, choosing investors wisely, and understanding the responsibility that comes with entrepreneurship. ⸻ Timestamps [00:00] – Welcome & opening at Istanbul Slush’D [01:30] – Turkey as a standalone startup ecosystem [04:00] – Turkish founders, diaspora & global impact [05:45] – Scaling beyond Turkey & cross-border growth [07:30] – Trust between founders and investors [09:30] – Crisis management & long-term partnerships [10:40] – Unicorns, profitability & real companies [12:50] – Founder patterns, resilience & leadership [14:55] – AI in startups and venture capital [15:55] – Regulation as fintech’s long-term moat [17:20] – Advice for aspiring founders [19:00] – Closing remarks ⸻ If you enjoyed this conversation, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and comment. New episodes from Istanbul Slush’D Podcast coming soon — featuring investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders shaping the next wave of innovation. ⸻ Credits Host:  ⁠Aykut İbrişim⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aykutibrisim/] - ⁠Poddict⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]  Co founder  Guest: Stefan Klestil [https://at.linkedin.com/in/stefanklestil] Recorded at: Istanbul Slush’D 2025⁠ [https://istanbulslushd.com/] – ⁠KoProduction Podcast Studio⁠ [https://www.kolektifhouse.co/ko-production-formu]  Production:  ⁠Poddict⁠⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]

VC Is Very Local: What Founders Must Know About MENA & Istanbul | Walid Mansour

Venture capital is very local — and founders need to understand why. Recorded at Istanbul Slush’D 2025 , this episode features Burcu Ağma in conversation with Walid Mansour, co-founder and managing partner of Middle East Venture Partners, one of the most active VC firms in the MENA region. They discuss Istanbul’s evolving startup ecosystem, the founder traits that consistently lead to success, and why resilience, long-term commitment, and company culture matter more than shortcuts. Walid shares an investor’s perspective on building companies in fragmented markets, the importance of local relationships in venture capital, and why pitches are only the beginning of a much deeper process. The conversation also explores how global technology trends are shaping MENA startups, why international investors value businesses that can aggregate multiple markets, and what founders must understand before seeking venture capital in the region. A grounded, experience-driven episode for founders, operators, and investors building technology companies in Istanbul, MENA, and beyond. ⸻ Timestamps [00:00] – Welcome to Istanbul Slush’D & the energy of the city [01:19] – Istanbul’s startup ecosystem through an investor’s eyes [02:45] – How the ecosystem has evolved over 15 years [03:10] – Founder pain, resilience, and long-term commitment [04:30] – Why building culture is as important as building product [05:10] – What strong company culture really looks like [06:20] – How investors misunderstand MENA markets [07:10] – Why aggregating multiple markets creates value [08:48] – Global-first companies coming out of MENA [09:55] – Why pitches are just the beginning [10:40] – “VC is very local”: the role of relationships [13:45] – Advice to founders building in the region [15:48] – Final message: Go for it, keep at it Credits Host: ⁠Burcu Ağma⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/burcuagma] - ⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]⁠ ⁠Connectmind AI⁠ [https://www.connectmind.ai/] Co-Founder Guest: ⁠Walid Mansour [https://ae.linkedin.com/in/walid-mansour-3246342] - Co-founder, Co-CEO MEVP Recorded at: ⁠ Istanbul Slush’D 2025⁠⁠ [https://istanbulslushd.com/] – ⁠⁠KoProduction Podcast Studio⁠⁠ [https://www.kolektifhouse.co/ko-production-formu]  Production: ⁠Poddict⁠⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/] Stay in the loop: ⁠www.istanbulslushd.com/⁠ ⁠linkedin.com/company/istanbul-slush-d/⁠ ⁠instagram.com/istanbulslushd⁠ ⁠⁠x.com/slushhq⁠⁠

Why Leadership Is About Repetition, Not Charisma | Emmett Shear

Why Leadership Is About Repetition, Not Charisma | Emmett Shear Former Twitch founder and interim OpenAI CEO ⁠Emmett Shear⁠, now Co-founder of Softmax, joins for a deep conversation on leadership, AI, and what it really takes to build meaningful, long-lasting companies. Recorded at Istanbul Slush’D 2025,  this episode explores why leadership is less about charisma and more about clarity and repetition, how founders must evolve as their companies scale, and why investors often don’t fully understand their own decision-making. We also dive into one of the most critical questions in AI today: how to move beyond performance toward systems that can act as responsible, trustworthy collaborators, a core idea behind Emmett’s work at Softmax. Hosted by Burcu Ağma, Co-Founder of Connectmind AI, this conversation offers grounded insights for founders, operators, and investors navigating leadership, innovation, and responsibility in a rapidly changing technological landscape. Timestamps [00:00] – Welcome & introduction [05:10] – How leadership evolves with scale [11:13] – Mindset shifts founders must make [18:48] – Building Softmax & responsible AI [19:40] – Balancing speed, care, and results Credits Host: Burcu Ağma [https://www.linkedin.com/in/burcuagma] Guest: Emmett Shear [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmettshear] Recorded at:  Istanbul Slush’D 2025⁠ [https://istanbulslushd.com/] – ⁠KoProduction Podcast Studio⁠ [https://www.kolektifhouse.co/ko-production-formu]  Production: Poddict⁠⁠ [https://www.poddict.co/]