Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım

What Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım does

Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım is a Turkish non-profit association (dernek) that operates an international network connecting highly educated Turkish professionals living abroad with the goal of converting Turkey's brain drain into "brain power." Founded in 2019 as the YÖTG working group under the Turkish Engineers and Architects Union (TMMB), it was reincorporated as an independent association in 2023 and is governed by a board led by Chair Gözde Kara Günaydın (Munich) and Vice Chair Dr. Emir Öngüner (Göttingen), with members across Germany, the UK, and Turkey. The organization segments its work across three committees — Beyin Göçünden Beyin Gücüne (brain drain research), Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri (a digital library and published book documenting early-Republic scientists sent abroad), and Sosyal Sorumluluk (mentorship and scholarships, executed in partnership with TEV).

Its core deliverables are content and community assets rather than software products: the annual Kıvılcım Zirvesi flagship summit (1,232 participants from 36 countries in the 2024 edition; 2025 held on the Circle platform), a monthly LinkedIn newsletter (Bülten), a multi-season YouTube programming slate covering mobility, Industry 4.0, green industry, aviation-space, and life sciences, and recurring webinars such as the 360° Dış Politika series. The underlying "technology" is a digital community stack — Google Forms for membership intake, the Circle platform for the summit, YouTube for long-form content, and LinkedIn for distribution — none of which is proprietary or differentiated.

The business model is donation-and-sponsorship funded. All programs, events, publications, and networking activities are free to participants. Revenue is derived from event sponsorships (e.g., MOKA United as main sponsor and Wise & Rise as platform sponsor for Kıvılcım Zirvesi '25; İş Bankası for the December 2023 Ankara conference), member donations, and in-kind support from institutional partners including İBB (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality), İPA (Istanbul Planning Agency), İTÜ ARI Teknokent, KONDA, and TEV. Donations collected globally are channeled to scholarships through TEV. No external investors or shareholders exist, and no financial statements are publicly disclosed.

Name

Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım

Legal name

Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım Derneği

Website

https://bidunyakivilcim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım is a Turkish non-profit association that builds and operates an international network of highly educated Turkish professionals living abroad, running an annual summit, research, mentorship, and scholarship programs to convert brain drain into brain power for Turkey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım is a non-profit association (derneği) that relies on donations and charitable contributions from its members and supporters to fund its operations, events, mentorship programs, and scholarship collaborations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım is a Turkey-based non-profit association (dernek) that organizes the highly educated Turkish diaspora living abroad into a unified international network through an annual flagship summit (Kıvılcım Zirvesi), a monthly LinkedIn newsletter (Bülten), a publications library, three standing committees covering brain drain research, Republic-era pioneers, and social responsibility, and mentorship and scholarship programs delivered in partnership with TEV. All offerings are provided free of charge to members, with operations funded by donations, charitable contributions, and corporate event sponsorships.

Product overview

Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım is a strategic network organization (not a traditional SaaS product company) that operates a platform of interconnected programs to connect and mobilize Turkish brain power abroad. The core offerings include: Kıvılcım Zirvesi (annual flagship summit), Bülten (monthly LinkedIn newsletter), Yayınlar (publications library), and three committees — Beyin Göçünden Beyin Gücüne (brain drain research), Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri (digital library project on Republic pioneers), and Sosyal Sorumluluk (social responsibility including mentorship and scholarship programs with TEV). The organization functions as a network aggregator rather than a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri (Enlightenment Pioneers of the Republic): A project documenting the stories of early Republican era students sent abroad for education who returned to build modern Turkey, including the 'Cumhuriyet Meşalesi Dijital Kütüphane' (Republic Torch Digital Library) project.
• Kıvılcım Zirvesi (Kıvılcım Summit)

Products and services

• Kıvılcım Zirvesi (Annual Summit) Annual flagship online summit that brings together highly educated Turkish diaspora professionals from around the world for thematic panels, expert speakers, and structured one-on-one networking interactions. Free and open to all participants.
• Bülten (Newsletter) Monthly LinkedIn-published newsletter delivering updates on the Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım global network, member insights, success stories, and event announcements to subscribers.
• Yayınlar (Publications Library) Online library of interviews, research reports, and media coverage including video content, the WIRBIZ Brain Drain Report, ITD Reports, and press interviews.
• Brain Drain Research (Türkiye'nin İlk Büyük Beyin Göçü Araştırması) Large-scale brain drain research initiative co-led with KONDA surveying over 3,100 respondents on qualified migration from Turkey, with findings published as a research report and presented at launch events.
• Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri Project (Digital Library and Book) Cultural preservation project documenting the stories of the first generation sent abroad during the early Republic years who returned to build modern Turkey. Delivered as the Cumhuriyet Meşalesi Dijital Kütüphane (digital library), 21 published interviews, illustrated artworks, and a printed book.
• Mentorship and Scholarship Programs (TEV Scholarship Protocol) Mentorship programs and a scholarship protocol signed with the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) that channel donations collected globally by the organization to provide educational scholarships and mentorship to successful Turkish university students with financial need.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1232 participants from 36 countries connected at the 2024 summit
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, minor and major.

• İTÜ ARI TeknokentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2025İTÜ ARI Teknokent (Istanbul Technical University Advanced Technology Research Zone) serves as a core co-organizing partner for the Kıvılcım Zirvesi (both 2024 and 2025 editions) and provides technology development zone expertise and connections to Turkey's tech ecosystem.
• İPA (İstanbul Planlama Ajansı)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2025İstanbul Planning Agency (İPA) is a co-organizing partner for the Kıvılcım Zirvesi, contributing to event programming and leveraging the organization's urban planning and research capabilities.
• İBB (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2025Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is a key institutional partner co-organizing the Kıvılcım Zirvesi. Their libraries serve as distribution points for the Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri book publication.
• MOKA UnitedflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025MOKA United served as the Main Sponsor (Ana Sponsor) for the Kıvılcım Zirvesi 2025, a Global Fintech Solutions company providing financial sponsorship for the summit.
• Wise & RiseflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Wise & Rise served as the Platform Sponsor for the Kıvılcım Zirvesi 2025, a Next Gen Platform providing sponsorship support for the online event platform.
• KONDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2024KONDA, a leading Turkish research and polling company, co-led Turkey's first large-scale Brain Drain Research survey with over 3,100 participants. KONDA serves as a key institutional partner providing research methodology and credibility.
• BeeBIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 March 2024BeeBI served as the Venue Sponsor for the Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım launch event held on 15 March 2024 in Berlin.
• Oyak Anker BankminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 March 2024Oyak Anker Bank provided catering sponsorship for the Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım launch event in Berlin on 15 March 2024.
• MedyaTayfminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 March 2024MedyaTayf served as the Communications Sponsor for the Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım launch event in Berlin on 15 March 2024.
• RasyotekminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 March 2024Rasyotek provided product sponsorship for both the Berlin launch event (March 2024) and the Cumhuriyetin İkinci Yüzyılında Beyin Göçü-Gücü Conference (December 2023).
• TEV (Türk Eğitim Vakfı)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) signed a scholarship protocol with Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım to provide scholarships and mentorship to successful Turkish university students with financial need. Donations collected globally by the organization are channeled through TEV.
• RUUT by İŞBANKmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024RUUT by İŞBANK sponsored the artwork and illustrations for the Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri project, featuring illustrations by artist Buse Kaçar depicting the stories of pioneering scientists.
• Turkish Global SocietyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Turkish Global Society (TGS) conducted an interview with Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım published in February 2025 as 'Göçten İlham Alan: Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım'. Serves as a media partner for Kıvılcım Zirvesi 2025.
• ApostominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Aposto published 21 interviews from the Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri project and serves as a press/media partner, amplifying the organization's content reach.
• TMMB (Türk Mühendis ve Mimarlar Birliği e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TMMB is a longstanding institutional partner. The predecessor organization (Yüksek Öğrenimli Türk Göçmenler / YÖTG working group under TMMB) organized events between 2019-2022 that laid the foundation for Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım.
• Mutfak Sanatlar AkademisiminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Mutfak Sanatlar Akademisi (Culinary Arts Academy) served as an Impact Partner for the Kıvılcım Zirvesi 2025, contributing to the event's programming and activities.
• HBT (Herkese Bilim Teknoloji)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Herkese Bilim Teknoloji served as a Press Partner for the Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri project and published an interview with Dr. Emir Öngüner.
• MSIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024MSI served as a Press Partner for the Cumhuriyetin Aydınlanma Öncüleri project.
• DEKONminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024DEKON is listed as a corporate partner/institutional collaborator alongside other organizations such as İTÜ ARI Teknokent, KONDA, and TEV.
• İş BankasımajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 December 2023İş Bankası was the Main Sponsor for the Cumhuriyetin İkinci Yüzyılında Beyin Göçü-Gücü Conference held on 23 December 2023 in Ankara at TED University.
• CTCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2023CTC served as an International Partner for the Cumhuriyetin İkinci Yüzyılında Beyin Göçü-Gücü Conference in Ankara, December 2023.
• INFINIAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 December 2023INFINIA served as a Product Sponsor for the Cumhuriyetin İkinci Yüzyılında Beyin Göçü-Gücü Conference in Ankara, December 2023.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Turkish Philanthropy Funds: U.S.-based nonprofit mobilizing Turkish-American philanthropy for education and community development. Comparable in coordinating donations from Turkish diaspora toward scholarships and youth programs, with overlapping donor base.

Regional players

• Diyalog (Turkish-German cultural media): Long-running Turkish-German cultural and political media platform. Comparable in targeting Turkish diaspora in Germany (the same primary geographic node as Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım's board base) and producing diaspora-relevant content at scale.
• German-Turkish Business Association (TDU): Association connecting Turkish-German business and professional community. Comparable in serving the same Turkish diaspora professional segment in Germany and organizing networking events.

Direct peers

• Turkish Engineers and Architects Union (TMMB e.V.): The organization under whose umbrella Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım's predecessor YÖTG working group operated from 2019-2022. Directly comparable in serving Turkish professional diaspora communities, with established institutional footprint in Germany.
• Turkish Education Foundation (TEV): Major Turkish scholarship foundation that Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım has a formal partnership with. Comparable in coordinating scholarships and mentorship for Turkish students, with a much longer operational history and broader donor base.
• TASSA (Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association): Established Turkish-American diaspora network for highly educated scientists, scholars, and professionals. Most directly comparable peer: targets the same segment of educated Turkish diaspora abroad, runs conferences and networking programs, and has a research/profile function.

Broad incumbents

• DEİK (Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey): Turkish umbrella organization coordinating business councils with counterpart countries. Comparable in facilitating Turkish diaspora business networking and connecting Turkish professionals abroad with domestic opportunities.
• Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB): Turkish government agency coordinating policy for the Turkish diaspora. Comparable in serving the diaspora-engagement mission but operates as a government body with significantly larger resources and policy mandate.
• Yunus Emre Institute: Turkish government-affiliated cultural institution operating in 60+ countries to promote Turkish language, culture, and diaspora engagement. Comparable in mission (strengthening Turkish diaspora ties) but with vastly larger state budget and institutional reach.

Emerging players

• Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Turkey office): German political foundation with active programming in Turkey on diaspora, education, and civil society. Comparable in funding research and convening diaspora/stakeholder dialogues on migration-related themes such as brain drain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bidunyakivilcim
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bidunyakivilcim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bi' Dünya Kıvılcım