Davos 2026: As the Global Agenda Shifts, Is the Turkish Diaspora Visible?
- Fersun Önen AKYÜZ
- Jan 24
- 7 min read
By Fersun Önen AKYÜZ , Co-founder, Bold Future Global
For twenty years, I’ve worked in international trade, logistics, and business development. Throughout this time, I’ve repeatedly witnessed how Turkish professionals, entrepreneurs, and researchers are scattered worldwide but often disconnected from each other. Highly skilled, talented people — yet
often alone, unrecognized, and not mobilized as a collective force.
This year, I followed Davos more closely than ever before. Because I had a feeling: The global economic and social agenda is being rewritten. And in this rewriting process, those who are not at the table will be on the menu.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s words stuck with me: “The power of the powerless.” Influence today no longer comes from size, but from showing up, speaking up, and building alliances.
What does this mean for the Turkish diaspora? And more importantly: Are we visible in these discussions?
Davos 2026’s Five Core Questions — and My Questions
Davos 2026 was structured around five global challenges:
How can we cooperate in a more contested world?
How can we unlock new sources of growth?
How can we better invest in people?
How can we deploy innovation at scale — and responsibly?
How can we build prosperity within planetary boundaries?
As I watched each one, I asked myself: “What can the Turkish diaspora contribute to these discussions? And what structural changes do we need to be able to contribute?”
Drawing from my own experience and what I’ve observed while building Bold Future Global, I’ll try to make these questions more concrete.
1. Cooperation in a Fragmented World: The Diaspora’s Hidden Advantage
Message from Davos:
Global cooperation is no longer guaranteed. One-size-fits-all globalization is giving way to trust based, small, flexible coalitions that produce concrete results.
My Observation:
Having worked in international trade for years, I’ve seen this clearly: Most deals are made not through technical excellence, but through trust and cultural understanding.
The Turkish diaspora — millions of Turkish-origin professionals, entrepreneurs, academics — is scattered worldwide. From Europe to North America, from the Middle East to Asia. Most of us move between multiple systems: Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, the US… This is not theoretical for us, it’s our daily reality.
For a long time, this was seen as “fragmentation.” But now, it’s an asset.
The Overlooked Power of the Turkish Diaspora:
Thousands of highly skilled Turkish innovators are building careers and companies worldwide. But often alone, fragmented, and unrecognized as a collective force.
So how can this power be mobilized?
My experience shows: Simply saying “we’re building networks” isn’t enough. The real work is turning the abstract into concrete.
It’s not enough to introduce a Turkish biotech startup to an EU fund in Malta, a corporate partner in Germany, and an investor in London. The real work: Preparing the application file, drawing up the funding strategy, developing joint projects.
Turning matchmaking into joint R&D projects, funding applications, scalable business models.
When we founded Bold Future Global, we decided to do exactly that: Build practical, results-oriented structures that transform the Turkish innovation diaspora into a collective force.
2. The Redefinition of Growth: Ecosystems Matter More Than Capital
Message from Davos:
Growth is no longer measured by GDP figures, but as a matter of capacity. Capital is more cautious, talent is mobile and selective. Growth now follows ecosystems, not just capital.
My Observation:
I worked in logistics and supply chain management for years. I learned one thing very clearly: Even the best product will fail if it’s not in the right ecosystem.
Turkish entrepreneurs — especially in AI, advanced manufacturing, energy transition, and digital platforms — develop technically excellent products. But often they can’t scale because they don’t understand systems, can’t access the right networks, can’t read regulatory environments.
Technical excellence alone is not enough. Innovation that can’t integrate social realities,market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and user behaviors won’t scale.
That’s why at Bold Future Global we adopted a holistic approach: Focused on deep technology and commercialization, but bringing together technical and social sciences.
Technology shapes society — but society also shapes technology.
Innovation only becomes sustainable when these two move side by side.
What Do We Need to Do?
Invest in structures that will transform Turkish entrepreneurs’ abstract scientific work and ideas at the concept stage into concrete commercial collaborations.
Build ecosystems — not just provide capital.
3. Investing in People: From “Brain Drain” to “Brain Circulation”
Message from Davos:
The conversation is now about "brain circulation," not "brain drain." Highly skilled professionals are seen not as “lost talent” but as distributed capacity.
What used to be called “soft initiatives” — mentorship, community platforms, cross-border collaboration — are now being discussed as infrastructure: Necessary, investable, strategic.
My Observation:
Working in the international business world, I’ve met hundreds of Turkish professionals. Most are highly skilled, in senior positions, working on impressive projects. But they’re often alone.
There are Turkish entrepreneurs who want mentorship, but they don’t know their mentors. There are academics looking for R&D projects, but they can’t find the right partners. There are startups looking for investment, but they have no connections to investors in the diaspora.
The problem is not a lack of talent — it’s a lack of coordination.
When we founded Bold Future Global, we targeted exactly this: Turning distributed capacity into active, mobilizable, investable power.
For example, a Turkish researcher in Malta, an investor in Berlin, a corporate in Istanbul — we bring all three together around a Horizon Europe project. This isn’t just networking — it’s concrete, fundable, scalable collaboration.
What Do We Need to Do?
Build structural platforms that will strengthen the Turkish innovation and entrepreneurship diaspora.
Grow individual success stories and collective capacity simultaneously.
This is no longer a “goodwill project” — it’s a strategic priority.
4. Innovation at Scale: Responsibility Must Be Built In, Not Added Later
Message from Davos:
AI and frontier technologies were everywhere. But the tone was different: Less hype, more caution.
“Innovation without governance doesn’t scale — it breaks.”
Responsible AI, explainability, inclusion, and trust are now at the center of investment decisions.
My Observation:
Working in logistics and supply chain, I’ve seen this repeatedly: Technically perfect systems collapse when they ignore social, ethical, and regulatory realities.
Turkish entrepreneurs are technically very strong — but they often struggle to integrate social dynamics, user behaviors, regulatory environments, and ethical risks.
Many startups fail not because their technology is weak, but because they underestimate social, behavioral, and regulatory realities.
That’s why at Bold Future Global we put technical and social science integration at the center. Because sustainable innovation is only possible when both move side by side.
Teams led by the diaspora who understand both EU regulatory expectations and emerging market realities are ideally positioned to build cross-border, responsible solutions.
What Do We Need to Do?
Innovation must be bold, but also responsible. Turkish entrepreneurs who can build both together have a huge advantage in an era of increasing regulatory uncertainty.
Governance must be built in from the start, not added later.
5. Prosperity Within Planetary Boundaries: Sustainability Is No Longer an “Additional Criterion”
Message from Davos:
Sustainability is no longer a parallel discussion. It is the economic discussion itself.
Nature-positive growth, circular economy models, and climate resilience are no longer constraints, but sources of competitive advantage.
My Observation:
The logistics and shipping sector has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 10 years. Sustainable transport, carbon footprint, circular supply chains — these are no longer “nice words,” but customer demands and regulatory requirements.
This also directly aligns with Turkey’s priorities: Green transition, sustainable manufacturing, energy efficiency, logistics.
Diaspora investors and business leaders can play a real role here — by bringing global practices, structuring impact-driven investments, and connecting Turkish companies to ESG-aligned value chains.
At Bold Future Global, we take this very seriously. As a social enterprise, we reinvest more than 50% of our revenues into early-stage, impact-driven founders. This isn’t just goodwill — it’s a structural choice to create long-term value for the ecosystem.
What Do We Need to Do?
Growing within the planet’s boundaries is no longer optional. The Turkish diaspora has the capacity to turn this transformation into commercializable partnerships — but we need to act early and decisively.
“Those Not at the Table Are on the Menu”: This Isn’t Just for Countries
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s words at Davos keep echoing in my mind: “The power of the powerless.”
The message was very clear: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
This isn’t just for countries. It applies to companies, communities, and diasporas too.
Influence today comes not from size, but from: Showing up, speaking up, and building alliances.
So What Are We Doing? Social Enterprise Model and Holistic Innovation
When we founded Bold Future Global, we asked: “How can we get the Turkish innovation diaspora to the table?”
And we found this answer:
1. Turning the Abstract into Concrete
Taking scientific outputs to global markets isn’t just “selling ideas”
Transforming ideas at the concept stage into commercializable business models and fundable projects
2. Building Ecosystems
Long-term collaborations among entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and corporate partners
Joint R&D projects, funding applications, accelerator programs
3. Holistic Innovation: Technical + Social Science
Technology shapes society — but society also shapes technology
Sustainable innovation requires technical excellence and social understanding to evolve side by side
Integrating market dynamics, user behaviors, regulatory frameworks, and ethical risks
4. Mobilizing the Diaspora
Turning “distributed capacity” into active, investable power
Converting individual success into collective strength
5. Social Enterprise Model
We reinvest more than 50% of our revenues into early-stage, impact-driven founders
We’re designed for long-term ecosystem value — not short-term programs
6. Global-First Diaspora Model
We’re not a return program
We’re not a generic accelerator
We’re a global platform that strengthens Turkish talent wherever they are
Conclusion: The Future Belongs to Those at the Table
Davos 2026 showed me one thing very clearly: Global agendas are being rewritten — and fast.
For the Turkish business community and diaspora, this is not a time to watch from the sidelines.
It’s time to take early and decisive steps, organize collectively, and speak with clarity and confidence.
I’ve been working in the international business world for twenty years. I’ve seen this clearly: Talent is everywhere. But coordination, structure, and collective action are not.
We founded Bold Future Global for exactly this reason: To transform the Turkish innovation diaspora into a collective force.
Strength comes from unity — but this strength doesn’t emerge spontaneously. It needs to be built.
And to build it, we need to be at the table.
Will you join us at this table?
Contact:
About the Author
Fersun Önen AKYÜZ has over 20 years of experience in shipping, logistics, and international trade. As co-founder of Bold Future Global, she helps global Turkish innovators access funding, scale ventures, and drive impact — turning brain drain into brain gain.
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