It was good to get back on the horse again! We just got back from a one week trip to Germany and Turkey. We were visiting an important customer in Germany, and our Series A lead investor in Turkey. It was interesting to travel internationally again, as I hadn’t gone overseas since pre-covid.
Both cities are major international ports. Hamburg is a wonderful German city—very international—a major port and northern access point to the North Sea. Interestingly, I learned that many people who live in Hamburg have vacation places in Denmark on the coast. From a culinary perspective, I feel like
there was a time when the only non-German food available in Germany was Italian, but Hamburg’s food scene felt very international. We had Tapas one night and we went to a steak house the other night.
These were chosen by our hosts.
We exhibited at a sustainability conference in the foyer of this major corporation. Sustainability is huge in Germany, and having a re-usable tape is the ultimate in sustainable solutions.
The second part of our trip was a quick visit to Koc Industries, the lead investor in our Series A. Istanbul sits at the spot connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea—it really is the gateway to the East.
Obviously the former Constantinople, the history in that city of 15 million people is amazing. Basically the city approaches New York City in size. It straddles the Bosphorus Straight, which we enjoyed taking a ferry over. The hills climbing up from the water, dotted by mosques are amazing.
Koc Industries has been a wonderful partner, and we enjoyed spending time at their headquarters. They have a bucolic campus in the middle of the city, which is a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of that town. We look forward to working especially in the automotive industry with partners of Koc.
If you have the intestinal fortitude for potential air travel delays, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and meet with customers and investors in their places of business. There is no better way to build relationships than to share a beer, or in the case of Turkey, a Raki.
