Bek Ventures

Baturay Kaya, a partner who has worked with his firm's leadership since 2016 and brings Earlybird experience, is a recognized AI investing specialist who speaks publicly, including Harvard AI Forum.

Cem Sertoglu, known for writing the first institutional check into UiPath and turning $16.5M into about $2.1B, prioritizes follow-on reserves and backs misunderstood early-stage bets, with ~90% receiving second checks.

Mehmet Atici, a decade-plus EMEA investor, has worked with the same core team since 2013 and emphasizes distinct European markets and practical founder issues like regulation and taxation limiting stock options.

Arda Kirkagac focuses on seed-stage B2B software—especially fintech and financial operations infrastructure—has worked with the same core team since 2018, and is a low-ego, quietly supportive partner.

Hristo Borisov built Bulgaria's first unicorn. He co-founded Payhawk in 2018 with his Telerik colleague Boyko Karadzhov, and in 2022 a $100 million Series B extension led by Lightspeed valued the spend-management company at $1 billion — a 75% step-up just three months after its previous round. By July 2026 Payhawk had passed $100 million in annual recurring revenue serving customers in 33 countries. He joined Telerik as a university sophomore and spent more than a decade there and at Progress Software, rising to direct a product division of 180 engineers, and took a double degree in computer science and business at the American University in Bulgaria.

Eleanor Warnock is Managing Editor at Every Inc. She previously worked as a journalist at Sifted, the Wall Street Journal, and Atomico, and holds an MBA. Based in London, she has lived and worked across three continents.

George Fisher-Wilson is Head of Marketing at Bek Ventures. He previously held marketing and communications leadership roles at Techleap.nl and 3D Hubs, where he managed team growth and contributed to a $300M exit. His experience also includes freelance work with startups and government organizations in the Dutch startup ecosystem, as well as early-stage business ventures in electronics and agricultural technology.

Jan Faflik is an investor at Bek Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on founders from Dynamic Europe. Bek Ventures has backed companies including UiPath and Payhawk, with current portfolio companies that include Grand Games and Viktor.com.

Kiana Sharifi is the founder of LXV Ventures and an advisor and angel investor with nearly two decades of experience in early-stage technology across Silicon Valley and Europe. Her background includes founding a startup at age 19, as well as roles in marketing, executive recruiting, and venture capital talent partnerships. She has worked with over 100 companies throughout her career.

Elif Can İnalkoç Gedikli is an Investment Director and member of the Board and Investment Committee at Teknoloji Yatırım. Before joining the firm, she worked as a Project and Program Manager at TTGV on private equity and venture capital fund investments, treasury and risk management operations, alternative funding development for technology and innovation, and impact investing models. Earlier, from 2011 to 2014, she held roles in the SME and Commercial Banking Marketing Department at AKBANK T.A.Ş., starting as a Management Trainee. She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Hacettepe University, and master's degrees in Communication Studies from Ankara University and an EMBA from Middle East Technical University.