Evren Ucok

Evren Ucok cut his teeth in management consulting at Oliver Wyman, advising some 70 financial institutions over 15 years, first in Europe and then in emerging markets. He co-founded Trendyol Group and led it for about ten years; Trendyol became the biggest e-commerce business in Europe and the only decacorn from Türkiye, where he was born. He was also a co-founder of Peak Games, the first unicorn exit from Türkiye, which helped the country become a mobile gaming hub.

With encouragement from several development banks, he co-founded the Earlybird Digital East Fund (aka BEK1), focused on emerging Europe. It became the highest-returning equity fund in its category (14x, close to $2bn), launching a successful VC franchise that now manages close to $1bn. He has also invested in more than 100 specialised funds and companies, and has supported and mentored many talented fund managers and founders.

Since October 2023 he has been one of the most committed supporters of chess, backing super-talented young prodigies. He co-founded justchess.com. He is also investing in growing the chess economy and, ultimately, in using chess as an important solution to problems plaguing humanity, especially young people – building the ability to concentrate, patience and resilience, humility in defeat, and improved logical reasoning.