Etohum, one of Turkey’s first startup catalyzers, today announced the first group of most anticipated speakers of Startup Istanbul, the leading startup event which brings together more than 1,500 founders, investors and executives in the Eurasia region on October 3-5, 2015.
Morten Lund, Danish co-founder and investor of the world famous Skype; Ronald Hans, popular Dutch blogger, entrepreneur and co-founder of WeTransfer; Kimberly Kadlec, global marketing veteran and president of Starcom MediaVest Group; Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups will all be charged with presenting new concepts, fueling debate and exhibiting what they observe the future to be.
The name behind 100+ investments in the last 15 years: Morten Lund
Morten Lund, founder and co-investor of more than 100 high-tech startups, will be sharing his 15 years of industry experience at this year’s Startup Istanbul event.
After leaving his university education in order to concentrate on running his businesses, 43 year-old Morten has accumulated a remarkable experience and know-how in a wide range of industry sectors spanning the internet, telecommunications, health and alternative energy. His first major venture was Neo Ideo, a web consultancy founded in 1996, which later became one of Denmark’s top three agencies before its eventual sale to advertising giant Leo Burnett in 1999.
Among ZYB, Zecco.com, Polar Rose, Maxthon, Bullguard, Tradeshift, AirHelp, Itembase, LundXY and OnlyXO, his most notable investment was Skype, which was first bought by eBay for $2.6 billion in 2005, and later by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2011. As one of the most influential investors of today, Morten continues to support promising startups with initial investments through his startup and investor catalyzing firms.
The “Nalden” effect from blog to WeTransfer: Ronald Hans
After gaining his online reputation and nickname through his blog, Nalden.net, Ronald Hans has maintained his huge global impact as an entrepreneur, especially as the co-founder of WeTransfer and PresentPlus. Started building websites at the age of 13 as a digital native, Ronald has now become the globally acknowledged “young expert” in technology, internet, design and entrepreneurship. With all his innovative approaches to the startup world, Ronald will be inspiring Startup Istanbul attendees about mobile technologies, product marketing and business strategies in October.
Dijital marketing guru: Kimberly Kadlec
One of the most prominent and well-known characters of digital marketing industry, Kimberly Kadlec, has a track record of success in the marketing world, especially for building brands on a global scale, and navigating the shift by advertisers into digital media. Having been qualified for chairmanship in several companies she previously worked for, and working in global companies like Johnson & Johnson and AOL, Kimberly is now maintaining her headship in StarCom MediaVest Group. She has a 3 year-long entrepreneurship experience in Shady Shane, which she founded in 1998.
Dave McClure: Master of 500 Hats
Dave McClure, one of Etohum’s favorite speakers, is the Founding Partner of 500 Startups, a venture capital firm and startup incubator founded in Silicon Valley with over $150M under management, which now actively works in 40 countries. From Credit Karma, Twilio and MakerBot to Wildfire Interactive, Mint.com and SlideShare, he has been an investor in hundreds of companies around the world, and has worked with companies such as PayPal, Founders Fund, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twilio, Mint.com, Simply Hired, O’Reilly Media, Intel, & Microsoft.
After Turkish startup Connected2Me, a global messaging platform with more than 2.6 million registered users, became the winner of the startup competition in last year’s Startup Istanbul, it received 432,000 US Dollar investment from 500 startups and relocated to Silicon Valley.
His 25-year experience in Silicon Valley as a developer, entrepreneur, blogger and investor, will be reflected in Startup Istanbul, both as a speaker and a member of the Startup Istanbul Challenge jury.
Interested startups, investors and venture capitalists can register and benefit from early bird savings for the Startup Istanbul event by clicking here.
Founded in 2008 by Goril A.Ş., Etohum is an investment company aiming to build up a strong ecosystem of entrepreneurship in Turkey by bringing successful entrepreneurs together with angel investors, VCs, private companies, public institutions and universities from around the world. As the organizer of large-scale and high-impact internet/technology related events like Startup Turkey and Startup Istanbul, Etohum offers early stage startups consulting, mentorship and funds for management, marketing and other areas. Accredited by the Prime Ministry Undersecreteriat of Treasury as one of the first Investment Network of Turkey in 2013, Etohum strives to increase the number of Turkish internet companies and works for the improvement of the startup ecosystem in Turkey. Learn more by clicking here.