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Burak Buyukdemir

I made a video


Brainwaves by Burak Büyükdemir

Field notes from 26 years of investing in early-stage startups.

July 20, 2026

I made a video

· · ·
Watch the video on YouTube

I spent the weekend building something that started as a short post. It became a PDF. Then it became my first hand-drawn animation, published on YouTube. Not because I have a channel plan. Because I kept adding one more layer instead of asking anyone what they thought of the first one.

That is the pattern I want to talk about.

I watch founders do this constantly, including close friends. The market goes quiet. No signups, no reply to outreach, no traction. Instead of sitting with that silence, they build another feature. A new dashboard. A better onboarding flow. Anything that keeps their hands busy and their inbox empty of bad news.

Silence feels like rejection. A new feature feels like progress. But progress you can measure alone in your own head is not progress. It is hiding with better production values.

I caught myself doing the exact thing I warn founders about. Post, then PDF, then animation, each step delaying the moment someone actually tells me it does not land.

Building more is not always moving forward. Sometimes it is just a longer way to avoid the question.

So here it is, unfinished feedback and all. Tell me straight: does the idea land, is the video clear, should I make more of these. Just hit reply.

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Until next time,

Burak

Founder & Solo GP, Startupist Ventures Fund

Burak Büyükdemir

Burak Büyükdemir

Founder & Solo GP, Startupist Ventures Fund · Startup Istanbul

Founder of Etohum & Startup Istanbul. Solo GP at Startupist Ventures. 26+ years building startup ecosystems across 170 countries.

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Startup Istanbul · Istanbul, Turkey

Burak Buyukdemir

Entrepreneur, VC, and storyteller. I invest in early-stage startups worldwide, share candid lessons from 20+ years in tech, and spotlight founders shaping the future. Join 45,000+ readers each week.

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