From Wall Street to Fongogo: Ali Çebi’s Bold Bet on Turkish Startups
TRVC #12
Friends,
Proud to share the new episode of TRVC: The Turkish VC Podcast, just out. In Episode #12, I sit down with Ali Çebi, co-founder of Fongogo — Turkey’s first crowdfunding platform that’s evolved into a multi-pronged startup fundraising engine. From launching in a regulation-free environment to raising a VC fund, Ali shares the behind-the-scenes story of building a financial infrastructure that empowers founders and democratizes access to capital.
🔎 Here’s what we cover:
How Ali went from investment banking in New York & London to launching a startup in Istanbul
The early days of Turkish VC and angel investing
What makes Fongogo a “hybrid” between crowdfunding and venture capital
Why crowdfunding is a powerful tool to prepare startups for IPOs
The evolution of Turkey’s startup ecosystem — and what’s still missing
📺 Watch or Listen Now
👉 Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
⏱️ Chapters include:
00:00 – Ali’s career journey
06:30 – Crowdfunding before regulation
14:35 – Fongogo’s three crowdfunding models
25:00 – Building a VC fund in Turkey
30:00 – Foreign investment & scaling challenges
… and more
Thanks for listening and supporting the show.
If you enjoy the episode, forward this email to a friend or share my LinkedIn post — it really helps!
Best,
Yunus