Brainwaves by Burak Büyükdemir
Field notes from 26 years of investing in early-stage startups.
July 14, 2026
6 Startups I Met in June & July
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I talk with founders everywhere, every day. These are the ones that stayed in my memory this past month or two. I am not going to say which I invested in, or if I did at all. Just take a look.
One more thing. I am putting together a checklist: the exact steps I go through before I invest. Every investor is different, so mine will not match everyone. But I want to share it in the coming issues, a plain how-to-invest playbook for early-stage angels and investors. If that is useful to you, reply to this email so I know.
Here are the six startups. What do you think?
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01
Cognis — USA 🇺🇸
An AI that saves a deep-tech company's know-how before its senior engineers retire. It captures their raw work and hands it to the next team. First customers are nuclear and aerospace, where a whole generation is leaving at once. It matters because that knowledge is otherwise lost forever.
🔒 Stealth mode
02
Transload — Germany 🇩🇪
Computer vision for the loading dock. It uses a warehouse's own cameras to measure every shipment and catch loads that are bigger than declared. Customers are freight and logistics companies like DHL. It matters because carriers quietly lose revenue on mis-measured shipments every day.
transload.io →
03
Tarsis — Germany 🇩🇪
A Palantir for private capital. Always-on AI assistants that work inside a firm's own Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp, with no new software. Customers are PE firms, family offices, M&A advisors, and funds. It matters because it brings that kind of AI to investors, not just governments and big companies.
tarsis.ai →
04
Tokidos — Canada 🇨🇦
Physical play cubes that give young children a hands-on alternative to screens, paired with an AI app for personalized stories and games. Customers are parents of early learners. It matters because it turns screen time into real, tactile learning.
tokidos.com →
05
AtlasVR — Switzerland 🇨🇭
An ETH Zurich spin-off that teaches hands-on skills in a VR headset, so trainees practice before touching the real machine. Customers are companies in construction, automotive, and healthcare. It matters because it makes skills training safer, faster, and cheaper to scale.
atlasvr.ch →
06
Koolseed — Turkey 🇹🇷
A food brand from Istanbul making plant protein from pumpkin seeds, with the most protein and the least processing. Customers are cafes, gyms, and hotels first, then people at home online. It matters because there is no direct competitor in Turkey yet.
koolseed.com →
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Every one of these founders is living inside the problem they are trying to solve. That is the thread I keep coming back to.
One ask. If you know a startup I should meet, send it to me. A warm introduction, a company you saw recently, anything. I check every one myself, and I am always glad to talk when the thesis fits.
I will also be in San Francisco in early August. If you are there too, let me know.
Which one would you back? Hit reply.
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