Ihsan Elgin | Co-Founder
FinTech Istanbul

İhsan Elgin is the Founder of Core Strateji, a strategy firm that specializes in entrepreneurial transformation and strategy development, including innovation strategy at leading companies and “Entrepreneur in Residence” at Özyeğin University. He is also Co-founder of Startups.Watch, Turkey’s first and only early stage market analysis platform, and FinTech İstanbul, which is the leading organization in the financial technology sector in Turkey. Executive Board Member at İş Private Equity and Finberg C.V.C., Inc.


Ihsan started his career in 2000 with the Human Resources Department at Aygaz. Following, he took on roles in vendor development, marketing and CRM analytics, as both analyst and team manager.
Following his completion of the Koc University Executive MBA Program, he became a founding partner in a new venture, Climateminder, in 2007. Started in Turkey, the startup moved to Los Angeles, USA where it was eventually sold in 2012.
In May 2011, under the auspices of Özyeğin University, Ihsan started Turkey’s first technology accelerator program, the Startup Factory, eventually facilitating the development and establishment of over 60 startups. Additionally, he took over the directorship of the university’s entrepreneurship center.
Ihsan has completed both the Lean Launchpad Educators Program, led by the founder of Customer Development Theory Steve Blank, and the Business Model Masterclass, led by the developer of the Business Model Canvas Alex Ostarwalder.
In addition to teaching courses such as “Lean Business Development”, “New Business Performance Management” and “Startup and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem” at both the undergrad and graduate levels, Ihsan regularly writes articles for magazines such as the Business Leaders Startup, Optimist, and Innovation Management. Ihsan, who facilitated the publication of the Lean Startup in Turkish, also wrote the “Growth” section for the book “the Golden Rules of Entrepreneurship”.
Ihsan also serves as an angel investor and mentor with several young startups and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, Ihsan has given seminars on entrepreneurship, corporate entrepreneurship culture, dissemination of innovation, and lean startup development across Turkey, Greece and other neighboring countries.