Cem Sertoglu

Managing Partner @bek_vc. Investing in tech in Emerging Europe since 2006

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

And, here we go!

Welcome @bek_vc!

Everything stays the same, except our name.

[Bek Ventures @bek_vc]

Meet Bek Ventures! 🚀 The best-performing VC fund globally has a new name.

Introducing the quietly thought-provoking venture firm. We’re excited to build on the legacy we have established during our decade as Digital East Fund (ex-Earlybird).

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@credistick @Beezer232 For me, concentration is the key to returns (alpha) in classical early-stage VC funds.

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@paradromics Congratulations!

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@jenniferdoleac @VitalCityNYC 👀

[Rob Moffat @robmoff]

The case for generalist VCs...

[Enes Akar @enesakar]

Introducing Upsy

https://t.co/lC3AXEbdeo

Your own cloud computer, shared with your AI assistants. Like a Mac mini, but in the cloud.

Connect Gmail, Calendar, Slack and your browser once. Muse, Grokbot and any other assistant can use them. You decide what each one can access.

An assistant starts reading through your whole inbox? You get an alert and turn it off in one click.

Sessions and keys live in your Google Drive, not on our servers.

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@abrams Hahah

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@MKRocks @CendanaCapital Congratulations, @MKRocks @gpingree

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@WonderTxAi 👍

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

“First comes the dreamers, then the bankers, then the salesmen, then the sharks, then the desperate, and then the thieves."

Tommy Norris’s (Billy Bob Thornton) quote from Landman to describe the evolution of a boomtown is a one sentence summary of the current AI landscape.

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@awxjack Hahaha 😂

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

From Axios:

More venture capital dollars were disbursed to U.S. companies in the first half of 2026 than in any full year, according to data released this morning by PitchBook and the NVCA. By a lot.

U.S. companies raised $412.7 billion between January and June, a 29% increase over what U.S. companies raised in all of 2025 and a 15% increase over the all-time record set in 2021.

Yes, this was driven by mega-rounds, with over 81% of the H1 2026 dollars going to rounds of $100 million or more. This includes seven $1 billion+ rounds in Q2.

The only dark cloud is that Q1 significantly outpaced Q2, although Q2 is where most of the exit activity was found.

[Financial IT @financialit_net]

Payhawk Surpasses $100M ARR and Grows Faster and Leaner in Europe, Driven by an AI-Native Rebuild

https://t.co/7JGOJGDLhG

#ArtificialIntelligence #Fintech #FinancialIT

[Fryd Wiatrowski @frydwia]

https://t.co/qjizIO8bS1

[A1FantasySports @a1fantasy23]

Cancel USA vs Turkey.
Cancel Germany vs Ecuador.

Lock Turkey and Ecuador into a stadium and don't let either team out until one of them scores a goal.

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@TRVCPodcast The former, for me, but it probably works in reverse, as well.

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

I was chatting about this with a friend yesterday.

Tech and VC have become rife with transactional behavior. My take is that it's the result of the change in the personalities attracted to tech. It used to be the hackers; now it's the greedy hustlers.

Ironically, it makes for an easy filter.

[Bilal Zuberi // Red Glass Ventures @bznotes]

It’s unfortunate to hear some investors - and even founders - argue that early-stage investing is becoming purely transactional…just an “access” game.

That view is not only wrong, it’s dangerous.

Great companies aren’t built through transactions. They’re built over time—through uncertainty, setbacks, breakthroughs, and the emotional volatility that comes with all of it. What sustains them is trust, conviction, and relationships that hold under pressure.

Yes, hard decisions are part of the journey. But how those decisions are made is what defines character—and reflects a true commitment to fiduciary responsibility.

This isn’t a rant. It’s a reminder.

There are great people building with integrity. Back them. Build with them.

Let’s go. 🦾🚀

[Neil Parikh @neilparikh]

We're hiring to expand our marketing team for @TalkToAshAI. This is your chance to work alongside me (I co-founded @Casper, where we had some of the best marketing in the world) and our head of marketing (ex spotify/airbnb) to figure out how to scale AI to support our mental health.

We're looking for talented generalists. You're a builder, you create videos or take ideas from 0 to 1 same day.

This is in person, in nyc, a chance to build marketing that changes people's lives at a company that is quite literally changing people's lives. We value speed and iteration cycles over pretty much everything - there is no playbook here, so we have to discover it together.

If this is you, drop me a dm or post here with the most interesting marketing you've done personally (portfolio, link whatever). If you know someone incredible and share them, happy to offer a generous referral bonus (maybe an @infinitemachine scooter?)

please RT for reach!

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@dhaber +1

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

@paulbz Best of luck, Paul!

[Cem Sertoglu @csertoglu]

We are excited to announce our new investment: Capsa AI

[Bek Ventures @bek_vc]

We are proud to back Capsa AI, today announcing $18M in Series A funding. Danyal, Callum and the team are building the AI operating system for private capital. Learn more: https://t.co/zzeqGp25UD