Contact Us
Quasar Offices Fulya Mahallesi Büyükdere Caddesi No:76
Şişli | İstanbul
16192 Coastal Highway Lewes, Delaware 19958 USA
info@theventurearts.com
+90 (212) 391 01 83
Empowering Innovative Startups
to Reach Their Full Potential
About us
VentureArts empowers innovative startups to reach their full potential. We provide strategic guidance to accelerate growth, secure funding, and forge valuable partnerships including M&A opportunities.
Our team of seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts offers tailored solutions in business development, sourcing funds and M&A candidates, financial strategy, and network expansion. From early-stage ventures to grown-up start-ups, we are your trusted partner in navigating the challenges of startup success. Our focus is cyber security and technology as a vertical.
’VentureArts’ artistic touch is about precision, care, innovation and strategic finesse. It means whatever we provide we make sure the “art” is always within!
Our team of seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts offers tailored solutions in business development, sourcing funds and M&A candidates, financial strategy, and network expansion. From early-stage ventures to grown-up start-ups, we are your trusted partner in navigating the challenges of startup success. Our focus is cyber security and technology as a vertical.
’VentureArts’ artistic touch is about precision, care, innovation and strategic finesse. It means whatever we provide we make sure the “art” is always within!
Brief information session to discuss your needs and our offerings
2 free 1-hour sessions for founders: Any topic founders would like to review/discuss, ask questions
What We Offer to Start-ups/Grown-ups
Fund raising/ Equity Sale
Search and introduce new sources of investors (financial or strategic) – loans, grants, equity sale, mergers. Help preparing investor documents, communication strategy. Negotiation support with investors.
Sales growth support
Define target geographies, revise GTM as needed, identify new customers (whitespace), build/revise channel structure, support new customer acquisitions. Help build partners/channels in target geographies.
Operational excellence support
Review existing organization model, operational costs (including daily financing, incentive models, marketing, product management), customer acquisition approaches, SG&A, partnerships etc.
What we offer to PE VC investors
Introduce pre-screened high potential companies
We will introduce high potential companies in your investment area of interest and prepare/pre-screen for subsequent discussions/meetings. We establish a healthy intermediation between the company and the investor.
Adopt Owner’s and PE/VC’s mindset to drive growth
We adopt founders’/owners’ mindset to grow the company together, roll up our sleeves to bring new customers and operational/ organizational effectiveness in multiple domains (Sales, Marketing, PR, Product Management, HR Finance).
Fully leverage expertise of our partners/advisors
Our partners/advisors bringing years of functional and industry expertise will seamlessly work with you to jointly come to best investment and strategical decisions.
Why Are We Different?
Management Team
Managing Partner
Erdem Eriş
Erdem is a cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the cyber security, information technology, and telecommunications industries. He had the chance to work for local, multinational, start-up and F500 companies and led inter-functional, international teams & resources before he founded his own business.
He founded CyberArts, a company that provides artful and innovative cyber security services to organizations that demand the best, not the ordinary.
He founded VentureArts, where he helps high-potential start-ups grow in a sustainable manner and help grown-up companies enter upper leagues in the cyber security domain.
He holds ISO 27001, 27701, DDO D1, DDO D2 Lead Auditor certifications in addition to his Computer Engineering BS Degree from Boğaziçi University.
As the CEO and Founder of CyberArts, he leads the vision, strategy, and execution of the company, ensuring that they deliver arts to their clients. He also oversees the business development, sales, marketing, GRC, MSSP and finance functions, managing the P&L and the growth of the company. In addition, he is actively involved in the local and global ecosystem, serving as the President of YİDER, a think tank that supports the national and local development of Turkiye. He is the Co-founder of IoT Vision, an innovative R&D company who develops state of the art solutions that touch the lives of people. He does his best to educate cyber security students as a part time lecturer. He is passionate about creating value, solving problems, sustainability and making a positive impact in the world.
Managing Partner
Mehmet Başer
Mehmet Baser is a former McKinsey Partner and Senior Executive with more than 20 years of experience designing and executing group level strategies, AI/analytics, and data value creation programs, and cross functional transformations for large corporates and growth businesses. He held various CEO/COO roles in local and multinational companies, including Borusan Telekom (now part of Vodafone), Ericsson and British Telecom Global Services before rejoining McKinsey in 2014.
At McKinsey Istanbul and New York offices as Digital Partner and Global Senior Solution Leader for B2B Commercial AI, he helped C level executives on strategy choices, investment decisions, AI and analytics enabled operating models, and executive communications.
Mehmet holds B.S degrees in Electronics Engineering and Physics from Bogazici University, Istanbul and M.B.A degree from Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, USA.
Advisory Board Member
Adil Hafa
After earning his degree in Computer Engineering, Adil embarked on a remarkable journey in the defense industry, contributing to pivotal avionics projects for fighter jets, passenger planes, and helicopters. Yet, his intrigue with cybersecurity ignited during his formative years, experimenting with a modest 386 SX computer before advancing to a 486 DX-2 80 during the heyday of renowned hacker groups like “Master of Deception” and “Legion of Doom.”
As his career progressed, Adil seamlessly transitioned to Türkiye Siemens Telecommunications’ esteemed research and development department, concurrently pursuing a master’s in information security engineering.
Simultaneously, Adil refined his expertise as a penetration tester at Denizbank – Intertech and Garanti Teknoloji, cultivating a multifaceted skill set.
Seeking a comprehensive grasp and pragmatic application of security systems, Adil assumed the pivotal role of Senior Security Engineer at LCWaikiki, Turkiye’s retail giant boasting nearly 55,000 employees and a vast network of branches.
Following his impactful tenure at LCWaikiki, Adil took on significant responsibilities at the Turkish Stock Exchange – Takasbank, where he also served as an IT Department Manager, advising the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.
Here, he masterminded the ministry’s cybersecurity strategy, forging alliances with diverse stakeholders and achieving a notable 24% enhancement in cybersecurity measures.
Subsequently, Adil was entrusted by the Turkish Wealth Fund to spearhead cybersecurity initiatives for the Türkiye Finance Center.
In 2021, Adil assumed the pivotal role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Yemeksepeti, concurrently leading as the Global Head of Security Testing, Red Teaming, and Bug Bounty Programs in Delivery Hero. Demonstrating his adeptness in managing intricate cybersecurity endeavors, he navigated both roles with finesse.
Amidst organizational shifts, Adil seamlessly transitioned to Ödeal as CISO, a pioneering fintech company specializing in physical and software payment solutions.
Ever committed to fostering connections and guiding startups, Adil remains steadfast in his mission to empower others in crafting resilient cybersecurity strategies, marrying technical prowess with business acumen.
Advisory Board Member
Ahmet Altılar
Ahmet Altılar is a senior technology and transformation executive with more than 30 years of experience leading large-scale digital, infrastructure, and operating-model change across global financial institutions and technology-driven organizations. He has held executive leadership roles covering enterprise IT, engineering, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, and complex multi-vendor ecosystems, overseeing global teams and sizable technology budgets.
Mr. Altilar brings deep expertise in enterprise architecture, cloud migration and modernization, regulatory-driven transformation, and risk management. He is recognized for guiding organizations through high-stakes change, aligning technology strategy with business priorities, strengthening governance, and improving execution discipline at both executive and board levels. His track record includes modernizing legacy environments, improving operational resilience, optimizing costs, and building scalable, high-performing technology organizations.
Beyond corporate leadership, he is the owner of Elba Data LLC, a technology consulting firm providing IT solutions and advisory services to small and mid-sized companies. Through Elba Data, he supports clients with technology strategy, cloud adoption, systems modernization, cybersecurity hygiene, and operational effectiveness, bringing enterprise-grade practices to growing businesses.
He is also active in the venture capital and startup ecosystem. Mr. Altilar is an investor in Treeo VC, a founder member of SIF Ventures, and serves on the advisory board of Spiky.ai, where he advises founders on scaling strategy, go-to-market execution, and operational rigor.
An EMCC Senior Practitioner, he is committed to leadership development and mentoring. He holds an MBA from Purdue University and continues to advise boards, executives, and founders on technology strategy, transformation, and leadership effectiveness globally across industries and geographies.
Advisory Board Member
Emre Tınaztepe
Emre Tınaztepe is the founder and CEO of Binalyze, a Digital Forensics and Incident Response company headquartered in Estonia with offices in the US, UK, Türkiye and Singapore.
In addition to evangelizing the new DFIR category, Emre is actively participating in the development of next-generation Digital Forensics solutions with Binalyze’s world-class team, guiding the company on its mission to disrupt and innovate in the digital forensics space to transform the nature and use of DFIR in the enterprise security stack by making it lightning fast, scalable, automated and easy to use.
Before starting Binalyze, Emre worked in various positions at global cybersecurity companies. His areas of expertise include Reverse Engineering, Malware Analysis, Driver Development, and Incident Response. He also led the development of an Anti-Malware suite used by millions of users to protect their devices against cyber-attacks.
Advisory Board Member
Koray Kaya
Koray Kaya is a banking expert and executive with over 28 years of experience in the credit, risk, and finance sectors. He has worked for leading banks and institutions in Turkiye and led innovative and strategic teams & projects in various fields. He has also worked at Kredi Kayıt Bürosu (KKB), a company that provides credit information and risk management solutions to individuals and organizations.
He studied Civil Engineering at Yıldız Technical University and received his MBA from the United States. He began his career at Garanti Bankası in 1995, where he played a key role in the establishment of one of the first personal credit scoring systems in Türkiye. He also designed credit automation systems for consumer credits, credit cards, and small enterprise credit applications.
In 2004, he joined Experian as a Business Consultant, where he helped banks and financial institutions improve their credit decision processes and risk management strategies. He helped more than 15 local and international organizations to have better decision-making processes.
In 2005, he joined Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) as the Head of Credit Risk Management Department, where he oversaw the credit risk policies, models, and systems of the bank. He took responsibility to convert the traditional risk assessment infrastructure into an automated decision system to handle large volumes of applications in the retail environment.
In 2009, he moved to Akbank as the Head of Retail Credits Monitoring and Collection Department, where he was responsible for the monitoring, analysis, and recovery of retail credit portfolios. He also worked as the Director of the Retail Loans Underwriting Department where he changed all retail loans underwriting criteria of the of the Bank to perform in a more efficient process. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of KKB during his tenure at Akbank.
As the Assistant General Manager of KKB, he oversaw the vision, strategy, and execution of the company, ensuring that they deliver quality and value to their clients. He also handled the business development, sales, marketing, product, and service functions, managing the budget and the growth of the company. In addition, he was actively involved in the European Credit Bureau Association (ACCIS) as the Board of Directors representing Turkish Credit Bureau. He is the inventor of Findeks, Karekodlu Çek Sistemi and Tardes which are disruptive Bureau services that changed the financial sector in Türkiye. He also created the Credit Literacy Week as a social responsibility project in Türkiye which supports to increase the awareness of credit risks and access to credit.
He joined Medrics as COO in 2024, which he was already a founding partner and still working in the same organization to expand the company business in Europe and restructuring of the current business processes and financial capabilities.
Advisory Board Member
Yasemin Erkut
Yasemin Erkut is a senior executive in public diplomacy, public policy, and corporate communications, with leadership roles spanning multinational companies and major business platforms in Turkey and the region. She has served as Head of Public Policy at Amazon Web Services, Deputy General Manager responsible for Healthcare Policy at MSD, Corporate Affairs Director at Mey | Diageo, and held regional management roles at Herbalife International covering Turkey, Greece, and Azerbaijan.
Her career began in public diplomacy as a senior advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, where she spent nine years advancing bilateral trade relations, supporting mutual investment growth, and leading public relations efforts. She has also contributed to key business organizations including YASED, TÜSİAD, and TOBB, and is a founding and board member of the Public Communications and Corporate Relations Management Association. She was selected for the Women on Board Association program in 2022–2023.
Yasemin Erkut completed high school at Red Cross Nordic United World College in Norway on a Norwegian Royal scholarship and graduated from Mount Holyoke College in the United States on scholarship with a double major in International Relations and Economics. She also completed an International Trade program at American University
Advisory Board Member
Yunus Çelebiler
Yunus has over 25 years of experience in fast growing technology companies. He worked in Silicon Valley, NY, Boston and London at software startups and in financial services and was the CTO of the fastest growing Turkish telecom operator.
He is experienced in growing technology teams, establishing successful product management practices, and supporting sales efforts in technology companies.
He holds a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University and an MBA from INSEAD, and is a CFA Level I.
As an advisory board member of VentureArts, he adds great value while selecting high potential companies, helping them grow and managing investor relations.
Advisory Board Member
Yusuf Ertaç
Yusuf Ertac is a seasoned financial executive and consultant with more than two decades of expertise in the energy and telecommunications industries. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to enhance financial performance and steer growth initiatives across diverse organizations.
Yusuf’s professional journey began at Vestel – Zorlu Holding as a Controller, before advancing to the position of Chief Financial Officer at Zorlu Energy Group. This role solidified his proficiency in financial management within the energy sector. In 2007, Yusuf founded Sinerji Global, his own consulting firm, through which he has provided critical insights for energy infrastructure projects worldwide.
2016 marked a significant milestone in Yusuf’s career as he assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer at TurkNet, a prominent telecommunications company in Turkiye. His leadership was instrumental in driving the company’s digital transformation, ultimately serving a customer base of 1 million subscribers.
Yusuf’s professional repertoire includes strong competencies in financial planning and analysis, strategic planning, treasury management, and mergers and acquisitions. He excels at refining financial processes, deploying new reporting systems, and leveraging data-driven insights to propel business growth.
In his current role as a Business Development Consultant at Hamilton Enterprises Holding Corp, Yusuf continues to apply his vast experience in integrated utility solutions.
Yusuf’s academic background includes a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Rochester, NY. His profound grasp of financial management, strategic planning, and industry-specific knowledge makes him an invaluable asset in driving financial success and growth across various sectors.
Success Stories
Startups we helped scale into global technology companies
VentureArts works alongside founders from the earliest stages to help build, position and scale cybersecurity and deep-tech companies globally.
Digital Forensics & Incident Response Platform
One of the earliest collaborations that helped shape the VentureArts approach to building and scaling cybersecurity companies.
SERIES A
$19M
