New TRVC Episode: Building Turkey’s Missing Growth Capital
TRVC #21 with İhsan Elgin of Finberg and Oleka Capital
Hi,
In almost every episode of TRVC — the Turkish VC podcast, one theme keeps resurfacing:
Turkey doesn’t lack startups.
It doesn’t lack early-stage capital.
It lacks growth capital — funds that can write meaningful cheques and help companies scale beyond the early stages.
In this latest episode, I speak with İhsan Elgin, CEO of Finberg (the venture capital arm of Fibabanka) and Managing Partner at Oleka Capital — a platform built specifically to address that gap.
İhsan didn’t just observe the structural weakness in the ecosystem. He acted on it.
In our conversation, we explore:
His journey from corporate executive at Koç Group to startup founder (with a U.S. exit)
Launching one of Turkey’s earliest accelerator programs
Building Finberg into a multi-fund investment platform
Why DPI now matters more than TVPI in today’s venture environment
The coming shakeout in VC funds
Why Turkish founders must think regionally to unlock larger exits
And how Oleka is using growth equity, SPVs, and venture debt to create a new model of growth financing
This is a thoughtful, strategic discussion about the evolution of venture capital in Turkey — less hype, more fundamentals.
If you’re a founder, investor, LP, or operator building in Turkey and the surrounding region, I believe you’ll find this episode particularly relevant.
You can watch on Youtube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts
As always, I welcome your feedback and reactions.
Best,
Yunus
TRVC – The Turkish VC Podcast