Young Founders Collective

How to Build a Startup With Friends and Handle Pivots | Maxim KhodzhaevIn this episode of Young Founders Collective, Defne sits down with Maxim Khodzhaev, co-founder of Lende, a marketplace for everyday appliances where people can buy and sell second-hand, to explore what it really takes to build a startup alongside your closest friends. From identifying a problem he experienced firsthand while li...

Building Young: AI Startup, University Life & Turning Down an Equity Offer | Mert Demirel In this episode of Young Founders Collective, Defne sits down with Mert, a student founder co-building an AI-powered platform, to explore what it really looks like to balance university life and building a company. The conversation quickly moves into something more personal, the weight of making decisions...

In this episode, Defne Gürkan sits down with Enzo Jerez, founder of deep-tech biomaterial startup Spideytek, for a conversation on building a highly technical company at a young age and redefining the future of materials. They dive into how Spideytek began, from father–son conversations during long car rides to developing the world’s first plant-based spider silk production platform. Enzo shares h...

In this episode, Defne Gürkan sits down with her close friend and co-founder Derin Erdem for a candid conversation about building a social initiative at a young age, centered around education and environmental awareness. They reflect on the founding journey of Yeşil Dünyamız (Our Green Earth), discussing what they learned through the process and what they would do differently if they were starting...

In this episode, Defne sits down with Martin Kostadinov, founder of a SYNEX, a software and consulting platform that addresses EU sustainability compliances. Together they explore how he changed his habits and stepped up to build something meaningful when no one forced him to change. From his Bulgarian roots to his structured routine as a student in Spain, Martin reflects on the internal shift tha...

In this debut episode, Defne Gürkan sits down with Diego Verhamme Carmena for a candid conversation about building a mental health start-up at a young age and the personal experiences that shaped his mission. As the founder of Diveinside, Diego opens up about stepping into the complex world of mental health entrepreneurship and why he chose to dedicate his early career to addressing one of the mos...