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Editor’s note: This press release has been translated and localized into English with the assistance of AI.
ISTANBUL — Netherlands-based startup accelerator Goatstarter has reached three major milestones in the first half of 2026. Its AI-focused entrepreneurship community, DOA, has grown to more than 1,300 paying members, while participants have launched more than 200 startup projects through the programme. The company has also begun fundraising discussions to establish a new investment arm that will provide initial funding to startups graduating from the accelerator.
Founded by Esad Kılıç and Burhan Kocabıyık, Goatstarter delivers a fully online acceleration programme for Turkish-speaking founders across Türkiye and Europe. The programme helps entrepreneurs build AI-powered products, establish companies, and develop sales strategies.
Unlike traditional training programmes, Goatstarter follows a hands-on acceleration model inspired by leading startup programmes such as Antler and Y Combinator. Participants are encouraged not only to develop ideas but also to launch products, validate them with customers, and generate revenue during the programme.
Commenting on the programme's growth, Goatstarter Co-Founder Esad Kılıç said AI tools are significantly reducing the technical barriers to launching technology companies.
“The sale of ARspar demonstrated that building a company is no longer primarily about technical expertise. It is about applying the right methodology. Until recently, bringing a product to market could take months. Today, AI tools allow founders to achieve the same objective within weeks. A physiotherapist or an accountant with no software development background can now build a digital product and start receiving payments by following the right process,” said Kılıç.
A significant proportion of Goatstarter participants come from non-technical backgrounds. Using AI-assisted software development tools, they build Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products and other digital solutions while receiving guidance on product validation, customer acquisition, pricing, and sales throughout the programme.
According to Stack Overflow’s 2025 Developer Survey, 84% of respondents either use or plan to use AI tools in their software development workflows, while 50.6% of professional developers use these tools every day. The research indicates that AI has become an integral part of software development, although human oversight remains essential for validating outputs.
Goatstarter says this shift is reflected across its portfolio of more than 200 startup projects. Participants use AI tools to rapidly develop minimum viable products (MVPs), gather customer feedback, and, in many cases, begin generating revenue before completing the programme.
Goatstarter's planned investment arm aims to make initial investments in startups that successfully complete the accelerator programme. While fundraising discussions continue, the new structure is intended to support early-stage companies from product development through customer acquisition and investment.
Rather than relying solely on pitch presentations, Goatstarter plans to evaluate founders based on their performance throughout the programme, including execution, consistency, speed of progress, customer feedback, and commercial traction. By analysing data generated from more than 200 startup projects, the accelerator aims to identify founders who demonstrate the ability to turn ideas into scalable businesses.
Goatstarter Co-Founder Burhan Kocabıyık commented on the investment model:
“One of the most effective ways to evaluate a founder is by working alongside them over several weeks and observing how they execute. Our investment decisions will not be based solely on presentations. We will assess the product they build, the way they work, how they engage with customers, and the measurable progress they achieve throughout the programme. Insights gathered from more than 200 projects allow us to identify which founders are capable of transforming ideas into sustainable companies.”
