Built from
Scratch.
Two ventures. One born from a decade of passion for geopolitics and strategy. One from a Kellogg MBA insight about how professionals actually help each other. Both built with the same instinct: find the gap, design the system, build the thing.
HiveAmp
Gamified professional networking for people who actually want to help each other.
Most professional networks are optimized for broadcasting. HiveAmp is optimized for reciprocity — a mobile-first platform where professionals post specific asks, others endorse with intent, and reputation is built by giving, not just accumulating connections.
The idea emerged from a direct observation at Kellogg: the most valuable exchanges in an MBA cohort happen informally, between people who have a specific need and someone who can actually fill it. HiveAmp makes that exchange systematic, scalable, and rewarding.
Built natively in Swift/SwiftUI with Firebase for real-time sync, the app supports 6 ask types, private/public communities, endorsement with intent, reputation tiers, direct messaging, and a full analytics layer — a complete professional collaboration OS.
- LinkedIn optimizes for visibility, not help
- Generic asks get generic responses
- No reputation for being a giver
- Communities lack structure and intent
- 6 structured ask types with rich context
- Endorsement by intent (solved / can connect / have resource)
- Reputation tiers that reward helping
- Private communities with moderation + quotas
Politik Merkez
A digital think-tank at the intersection of strategy research, geopolitics, and advanced democracy.
Politics Merkez began with a simple conviction: strategy research and geopolitics deserved serious, accessible, digital-first analysis. Erdem founded the think-tank from his fascination with the forces shaping the international order — and built the platform from the ground up, architecting a scalable content distribution hub before most think-tanks knew they needed one.
The quality of the research attracted early attention from Turkish TV channels, who brought Erdem in as a geopolitical consultant on their programming. That external validation accelerated the platform's growth trajectory and gave the think-tank an audience far beyond what a purely digital publishing model could reach alone.
Using AWS reference architecture and WordPress CMS, Erdem built an omnichannel distribution platform capable of handling high-volume traffic at scale. Digital SEO and SEM strategies drove consistent audience growth — 2× year-over-year for seven consecutive years. The result is a respected, active authority on security, geopolitics, economics, and innovation.
- Geopolitics & International Relations
- Security & Defense Strategy
- Economics & Global Systems
- Political Philosophy & Culture
- Innovation & AI Policy
- Environmental Strategy
- High-traffic digital platform (AWS)
- TV channel geopolitical consulting
- Video & podcast programming
- Organic SEO + SEM campaigns
- News outlet partnerships
- Social + newsletter distribution
Want to Build Something?
I'm always interested in the right problems — whether that's a new venture, an operating challenge, or a conversation about what's possible.
Start a Conversation