The Business Leadership Podcast

You are listening to the Business
Leadership Podcast with Edwin.

Paul: today's guest is building
a new model for entrepreneurship,

one grounded in collaboration,
technology, and shared success.

Göksel Turman is the founder of
Compendial Technology, a next generation

German venture builder that co-found and
scales joint ventures powered by cutting

edge technology and AI driven solution.

With over 20 years of leadership
experience across global corporations

and startups, Göksel brings deep
expertise in digital transformation, B2B,

e-commerce, and Operational excellence.

At the heart of Compendiums mission is a
belief in the power of shared economies,

offering a collaborative platform where
entrepreneurs, corporates, and investors

unite to build ventures that matter.

Guided by the motto, together,
stronger Goel is shaping.

Uh, is helping shape the future
of business through transformative

partnerships and scalable innovation.

Welcome

Edwin: to the Business
Leadership Podcast, how are you?

How are you doing today?

Göksel Türkmen: Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Edwin.

It's great.

It's been great in Vancouver.

Edwin: Yeah.

Yeah.

What, uh, what are you enjoying
most, I guess, for the, for day

one on Web Summit Vancouver?

Göksel Türkmen: So,
um, inspiring speeches.

Mm-hmm.

Um, really, um, like-minded people.

It's great being, uh, with, uh,
lots of, um, great founders here.

Uh, and then with the.

Different speakers and um,
different mindsets all together.

And, and the city itself
is really beautiful.

Beautiful.

Yeah, definitely.

Edwin: So can you share with
us like mat match preneur ai?

Um, basically tell us what the problem
you are solving in the AI driven

talent and opportunity matching.

Space.

Göksel Türkmen: So, um, nowadays if you
wanna, if you wanna find, um, like-minded

people or the right talent or, um, so.

Right.

Startups.

Mm-hmm.

Or let's say service providers.

Mm-hmm.

It's very hard.

You have to find, right.

Um, platform, you have to filter,
search, filter again, make kind

of due diligence across platform,
different platforms, whether this

person is the right person and so on.

And it is time consuming and
it's really, uh, it's also not

so cost efficient, I should say.

Mm-hmm.

And in most cases, you also have
to, um, like have some travels

to, to meet them in person.

Mm-hmm.

So, um, match entrepreneurs AI is a
platform where, um, our unique, uh,

AI algorithm brings all these kind of
people and also providers, um, based

on your, um, profile information, let's
say cover letter, which you create, free

text style, this is important and brings
them all, uh, with, with high accuracy

and you can get connected with them.

Easily.

Edwin: Mm-hmm.

Oh, that's amazing.

So this platform, and from what
I'm listening to, and correct me

if I'm wrong, it's really geared
towards companies looking for talent.

Mm-hmm.

And making it a little easier for
them to find the right fit when it

comes to skillset and and profile.

Right?

Göksel Türkmen: Definitely.

So we have collaborations with
best universities of Europe.

Edwin: Mm-hmm.

Göksel Türkmen: And so it is.

It means, um, we are, um, we are
bringing the right talents even

before they are, um, free to work.

And, but they have some kind of, let's
say, um, passion for entrepreneurship.

Mm-hmm.

Or at least they are curious.

We are talking about young students.

Yeah.

And they wanna learn about
entrepreneurship, about startups

or this kind of environments.

Edwin: Mm-hmm.

Göksel Türkmen: You can meet them
very easily through a entrepreneur's

ai and also, um, you can find
other kind of, um, complimentary.

Um, service providers, let's assume
we are, uh, we are making a marketing,

uh, campaign and then we are looking
for podcast, um, introducers.

So you could be also matched with some
these kind of, um, startups and so on.

I see.

And also, and also investors.

Edwin: I see.

That's amazing.

So GOs tell me, tell me what is
your personal unique point of view?

So your POV is what we call it?

Yes.

That, that basically that you
bring towards this problem

that you're trying to solve.

Göksel Türkmen: Mm-hmm.

So, um, first of all, I'm
as a, as a, as a user of.

Hmm.

There is, um, platforms.

I am quite, um, a lazy user, I should say.

Mm.

I don't wanna spend time.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

And, uh, I cannot focus on long, long
times, uh, on one specific stuff.

I really wanna find everything,
but I'm looking for as soon as

possible and also with high accuracy.

Mm-hmm.

And, um, and I could not find
the, any kind of platform

which gives me this power.

Okay.

I have always have to.

Spend some time and, and again and
again, and really focus on this, I said,

okay, I, I, I talked to my, uh, team.

Hey guys, can we create a startup, a
platform where we, um, give free text?

They don't have to have like
this kind of rules, rules, rules.

Mm-hmm.

They just have to write free text.

I am this or my companies.

Doing this, and then these are our,
uh, services or products and so on,

and I just wanna use one button match.

That's it.

Mm-hmm.

So it should be time efficient.

Cost efficient, and also
very focused platform.

This is why Match Partners we created.

Edwin: I see.

So I'm curious, like, when it
comes to that problem, like aside

from making it more efficient.

You know, making sure it
gets done stuff quickly.

Like how do you see this like,
even more differently when it comes

to what's out there right now?

Göksel Türkmen: So, um, it's, uh, it's
related to the previous question, I think.

So it is very easy.

It's really easy and, uh, so I want
to keep it easy, but also accurate.

So easy, but high quality.

This is, this is, uh, this is not, uh,
what, what I could find out there mm-hmm.

As a user I see now.

And I also wanna give this privilege
and enable all kind of entrepreneurs

and also startups, and also investors
and, uh, enabling them to find,

uh, what they're looking for.

In one platform.

This is important also in one platform.

I don't wanna switch from platform to
platform to find them in one platform

and then con to connect with them in
another platform and to understand

if they're really this person.

I mean, kind of due diligence
in, in the third platform.

I wanna do it every, everything
in one single platform.

Paul: And why do you think
this is so important?

Or I wanna know why you care.

Like what, what is, what is

Göksel Türkmen: it?

Ah, it's an interesting question.

Uh, I have a special, uh, and then let's
say, um, personal pain in this topic.

Um, I used to stay, have my own startup.

I.

Let's say 12, 13 years ago, and I was
quite successful and me and my co-founder,

we wanted to get to the next level, okay?

And we needed, um, better talents.

We needed smarter people that who,
who can, who can inspire us in

our development team, and who can
cosha the startup with us together.

And we needed international minds.

And so diversity in mindsets.

And back then I used to live in
Istanbul, Turkey, and uh, back then

the world was completely different.

And also location was not the
best one to, to reach out to those

talents or investors and so on.

So, uh, I had a lot of barriers
to make, to make it bigger.

And I said, okay.

Um, maybe for a while I should, uh, give a
break and I, uh, switch to corporate life.

And now I wanna empower those
younger me and those people like

me, uh, let's say 15 years ago.

Them not to get, uh, stuck
with, uh, little barriers which

they can infect, uh, smash.

Through this, uh, platform.

This is my personal, uh, let's
say, um, problem and solution.

Paul: Yeah.

I think that's really where your
point of view comes into, into play.

And what do you think, like from,
from that experience and then

going into corporate and then,
and then creating entrepreneurs?

Like what, like how do you see all
this differently than anybody else?

Göksel Türkmen: So, um.

I mean, being in a startup and being
a founder of a startup and then also

having a career in big corporations,
you understand, uh, you are, you are

seeing, um, both sides of the table.

You understand, uh, how big corporations
find really best talents in some

cases, and how do they, uh, retain
them, how they keep them, and,

and also how do they lose them?

You understand everything and you also
understand, um, um, something more.

Maybe interesting in this, in this
whole there are, uh, people who

could, who might think of being
entrepreneur, uh, which we call them,

uh, like aspiring entrepreneurs.

Those who wanna be, could be entrepreneur,
and these are, or in B corporations also,

um, let's say subject matter experts.

For instance, some, some lawyers in low
companies who could maybe, uh, create,

um, um, like tech, uh, company, let's say
legal tech or finance people like FinTech.

And, but they don't know anyone.

They don't know where to start.

They don't understand from the technology.

And this platform could enable them
to find their co-founders and also to

find their, uh, let's say, uh, backers
like vc, private equity and so on.

Paul: And, and so now that.

Now that you've pulled this
together and there's all these

possibilities, what do you think
if, if this just, you know, changed

the whole face of entrepreneurship,
how would you see that evolving?

What would the future look like?

Göksel Türkmen: Um, I think once we
will, um, um, how can I say, show that

it's, it could be also, um, made so
easily and the, the, the, the problem

is huge, but the solution could be, uh.

Could be put very, uh, smart way as we
do then I think, um, slowly the mindset

of the customers will change and it'll
start, uh, like a butterfly effect.

It'll start, um.

A whole, um, industry and also big
players, different, uh, platform providers

have to also move themselves from old
fashioned structures where users have to

filter, search, filter, search filters
and lose time and also lose, uh, lose also

money for premium memberships and so on.

And I think the zeitgeist,
the spirit of today.

Is, uh, is requiring what we are
doing, and it'll be the future

for each and every platform.

We think.

So keep it easy to keep
it also very focused.

This will be the motto.

Paul: Yeah.

Well, that's a, that's a true
future narrative, I would say.

I'm gonna pass it back to you, ed.

Edwin: Um, I mean, we're, we're
almost coming to the end and the,

we really appreciate your time here.

It's, you know, just outta your busy
schedule to, to come sit down with us.

I'd love it if you could share,
you know, coming to Vancouver.

You mentioned at the beginning
like, what is, what was your purpose

coming all the way from Germany?

What are your goals, uh, in Web
Summit Vancouver, and, and what

are you hoping to achieve here?

Göksel Türkmen: Um, so, um.

Um, we have in Germany, um,
let's say European mindset.

Mm-hmm.

And a European, um, point of view
for entrepreneurship, for startups.

It also applies for,
um, so investors mm-hmm.

As well.

So investors have specific,
um, perspective, which is very

different, which might be in some
cases very spec and very, very

different than in, in North Americas.

Mm-hmm.

And I wanted to understand how
they approach here and how, um.

How also other, uh, ecosystem
players, like, let's say, in in

which certain points they suffer.

So in other words, what, so our
solution, how accurate our solution also

applicable for here, for this region?

And also what could we learn from
this, um, from this location to

bring to Europe in order to, um, make
entrepreneurship more democratized

in whole Europe and Mina region.

Oh, that's golf.

Edwin: Yeah.

No, that's amazing.

So it's, it's, it's, it's sort
of like a trade mission Yes.

For you and really, really understand the
different cultures and how your platform.

We'll cross all these borders, I guess.

Yeah.

That's amazing.

Go, I mean, it's been
an amazing conversation.

I'm so excited for you and what you're,
what you're creating for the future.

Is there any final thoughts or
recommendations that you could

share to the listeners who out
there, they're either founders,

CEOs, or startups, entrepreneurs
who, who'd be listening today?

Göksel Türkmen: So, um, I would urge
them, I would advise them to, to

question, um, the platforms, the, the
tools which they have right now, which

are like offered by other companies.

Uh, you, we are all users and,
and entrepreneurship, um, players

can really question whether the
tools are sufficient enough time,

uh, efficient enough today or not.

If not, I, I think we will, uh, also like.

Uh, philosophically we will come to a
similar or maybe exactly the same point

so everyone will understand somehow
this is, uh, too hard nowadays and it's

not, it's not in fact, um, what we can
deliver today with today's technology.

So, uh, long story short, they can really
think whether it's, uh, okay or not.

If not, they should demand for every
kind of provider, um, what they want.

Then they will change everything.

Edwin: No, I love that.

I love, I love how you really give
some actionable recommendations

because some people don't know
what to do and they don't know the

power of giving this feedback to,
to the providers and 'cause they're

listening, they, they want ideas Yeah.

As well.

Right?

So Yeah, definitely.

Göksel, thank you for joining us
on the Business Leadership Podcast.

Thank you very much, Edwin.

You are listening to the Business
Leadership Podcast with Edwin.