‘New Investment Models, Strategies and Opportunities Discussed at UEZ’

Organized since 2012 by Capital, Ekonomist and Start Up magazines, the International Economy Summit (UEZ 2026) is being held for the 15th time this year, hosting respected politicians, business leaders, and academics from Türkiye and around the world.

Held under the theme ‘The Great Transformation: A Compass for the Transition to a Resilient and Sustainable Global System’ the second day of the summit also saw strong participation.

The fourth panel of the second day, sponsored by Tera Finance Group, was titled ‘New Investment Models, Strategies, and Opportunities.’

The panel, sponsored by Bacacı Holding, was moderated by Özge Gürsoy Büyükavşar, President of EY-Parthenon Türkiye.

Cem Cansu, Board Member of Bacacı Investment Holding, stated in his speech that their corporate structures are built on a hybrid model, emphasizing that they are a group that actively creates value and focuses on minimizing the gap between potential and performance. Highlighting that value creation requires significant investment, Cansu said, “It requires serious investment. In our value creation model, there are several non-negotiables. We are a family of 10,000 people. We act together with our customers, suppliers, and stakeholders.”

Stating that they adopt an investment approach based on multi-dimensional value creation, Cansu noted that sustainability is at the center of this approach. He said, “If you look at the past 50-100 years of the world, humanity’s prosperity has always increased. There are reasons to be optimistic. However, there have also been significant fluctuations. We have experienced ups and downs. Those that are resilient and sustainable have survived. A medium- to long-term perspective is decisive in investment decisions.”

Cansu also addressed investments in artificial intelligence, noting that technology alone does not create meaning. He said, “When we talk about artificial intelligence as a standalone concept, it can remain somewhat superficial. In reality, this is a transformation within us. From both individual and corporate experience, we see that efficiency increases when AI is fed with the right data, through the right processes, and in a systematic way. Otherwise, we do not achieve the same efficiency. Therefore, we can include data, systems, processes, and even human resource organization in this equation. Having these properly in place positively affects the outcomes of artificial intelligence.”

Cem Cansu also emphasized that they have made significant investments in data. He added, “As investors, we also have startup ambitions for the coming period. In particular, in artificial intelligence, we aim to combine our operational depth and financial strength with the innovation and flexibility of startups. In this direction, we have set an investment target of approximately TRY 500 million for 2026, both for investments and to achieve our goals more efficiently.”

‘DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IS ALSO A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR’

Alper Karagöz, Partner at Diffusion Capital Partners, stated that they focus on deep technology investments. He said, “We invest in deep tech. If we see a team capable of scaling the business, we invest. Another factor is whether the market is large and has potential. There are also periodic concerns. The likelihood of investing today in something we invested in 10 years ago is very low. High technology has a transformative effect. The transition from laboratory to product is now very fast. Demographic change is also a very important factor. You need to design services accordingly. There is also a trend toward the journey to net zero carbon. With vertical AI, many business ideas are emerging in healthcare and automation, and we utilize them.”

Karagöz emphasized that demographic changes also influence investment decisions; “An aging population and changing needs create new service areas. The net zero carbon target and vertical AI applications offer significant opportunities, especially in healthcare and automation.”

He added, “Patent numbers and scientific publications are increasing significantly. This indicates strong potential in human resources and R&D. Türkiye is strong in gaming and FinTech, and its digitalization capacity is at a high level.”

‘FOOD SUPPLY WILL NEED TO INCREASE BY 70%’

Mert Altınkılınç, Head of the Food Group at Yıldız Holding & CEO of Besler, stated that sustainability is critically important in the food sector. He said, “By 2050, the global population will reach 10 billion, and food supply will need to increase by 70%. This process also presents a significant opportunity. At a time when supply chains are fragile, the food sector must be approached from a broad perspective. Governments and companies that place sustainability at the center, focus on efficiency, and understand changing consumer behavior will lead. Gaining consumer trust is also very important. We build transparent relationships with all our stakeholders. Food waste in fresh fruits and vegetables has reached around 50%. We have reduced this to as low as 7% in frozen foods. We have focused on women farmers. Around 80% of women in the sector are either unpaid or lack benefits. We are working on this in cooperation with ministries. We aim to make high-quality food accessible to everyone.”

‘WE PROVIDE SUPPORT IN AREAS WHERE WE CAN CREATE EMPLOYMENT IN TÜRKİYE’

Lisa Kaestner, Director for Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), stated that financial resilience has become critical in a period of increasing uncertainty. Noting that they have provided more than $25 billion in funding over the past 10 years, Kaestner said, “There must be resilience in finance, along with sustainability. We need to develop the value chain in Türkiye. Increasing efficiency is also among our priorities. It is possible to work with funds in the financial sector. One important point I would like to emphasize about Türkiye is that we provide support in areas where we can create employment. We have financed climate change initiatives. We have also supported certain startups. We provide support to SMEs that prioritize digitalization.”