The first episode of ‘’Açık Kaynak’’, presented by Novus, is now live on Spotify and YouTube!

In this pilot episode, Novus co-founders Egehan and Vorga sit down for an open, unscripted conversation about how their journey began from unlikely beginnings to building an AI company focused on agent orchestration.

We called it "Açık Kaynak" not just for its technical roots, but because it stands for something we believe in: being open, sharing the process, and keeping the conversation real.

We recorded the full episode in Turkish, which you can listen to on Spotify or YouTube. Or, if you prefer, you can continue reading this blog post in English, where we've gathered some highlights from what Egehan and Vorga discussed in the first episode.

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Why Launch a Podcast?

Running a fast-growing AI company is no small task.
Between product development, partnerships, and building a team, launching a podcast might seem like an unlikely priority.

But for Egehan and Vorga, the decision felt natural.

As the AI scene rapidly grew in Turkey, they noticed something missing: a space for honest, accessible conversations about artificial intelligence without the heavy technical jargon or empty hype.

At one point in the conversation, Vorga sums it up perfectly:

"We realized there wasn't enough deep, genuine conversation about AI here. If we can inspire even a few people, it’s worth it."

Açık Kaynak was born out of a simple idea:
To share real experiences, and to explore what AI means not just for engineers, but for anyone building a business, navigating a career, or dreaming about the future.

And as they joke with a laugh, maybe it’ll save them from explaining AI orchestration in every sales meeting too.

The Realities of Startup Life

One of the most refreshing parts of the episode is how openly the founders talk about the real, often messy side of building a startup.

Throughout the conversation, they revisit key moments, the long nights, the growing pains, the personal sacrifices, and reflect on what those moments really meant to them.

Egehan recalls his earlier attempts at starting a startup during university, where he handled everything alone. Even in Novus’ early days, both founders were working around the clock to get things off the ground.

“Building something meaningful means doing a lot of things you never thought you would do. And it means doing them anyway,” Egehan shares.

It’s this kind of unfiltered honesty that sets the tone for the podcast, not just celebrating what worked, but being real about what it took to get there.

Milestones That Matter

Of course, not all memories are about the struggle.
Some moments have been truly defining reminders that their once-crazy idea had turned into something real.

Both founders light up when they recall a moment from their time in the Venture Lane program in Boston, during a dinner gathering with leaders from across various industries.

After being selected for this exclusive entrepreneurship program, they were introduced to a room full of influential people and publicly recognized for building something revolutionary.

“Being introduced to a room full of influential people and hearing them say we were working on something revolutionary... It was one of those moments you never forget,” Egehan shares.

Later that same week, they met the Chairman of Starbucks through another program event.

He told them without studying at MIT or Harvard they had still made it to Boston, were building something meaningful, and had even been featured in the Boston Globe as one of the Top 10 local startups. He described this as both a big achievement and a bit of luck.

Vorga recalls how excited they were after that meeting especially when the chairman personally shared his email and contact details with them before leaving.

Novus, the Community, and the Future of AI

After describing their own successes and challenges, they also talk about Novus.

They explain that Novus' mission has evolved beyond product development into something bigger: building a community. They talk about creating ecosystems where Turkish AI entrepreneurs, not only in Turkey but around the world, can share knowledge, resources and support.

Through projects such as Novus Research, they also aim to contribute to the academic and open source world and combine business needs with research innovation.

Open source development is at the heart of modern artificial intelligence.

“Today's AI breakthroughs no longer happen behind closed doors. They're being built by thousands of people contributing to open projects, and that's a very powerful thing,” says Egehan.

They see Novus not just as a company, but as a participant in a much larger movement towards democratized AI innovation.

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What Comes After Novus

As the episode draws to a close, the conversation shifts toward the future  both for Novus and for themselves.

There’s the classic founder dream of a successful exit, of course. But more importantly, they talk about the hope of seeing what they’ve built used around the world.

“I dream of one day writing a book, creating content, creating things that make people think, feel, and connect, that’s what drives me.” Vorga shares a more personal goal.

Egehan echoes the same sentiment, envisioning a future where they continue building new projects, new communities, new ideas, long after Novus' story reaches its final chapter.

Final Thoughts

The first episode of Açık Kaynak sets a refreshingly honest tone for the series.
It’s not about AI buzzwords or glorifying startup life. It’s about real people, chasing real dreams, building real technology, and trying to do it in a way that truly matters.

As the episode wraps up, there’s a clear sense that this is just the beginning not only for Novus, but for the wider AI ecosystem they hope to contribute to.

One thing is certain: the future they’re building isn’t just about machines.
It’s about people and the connections they make along the way.

As mentioned earlier, this blog post offers just a brief recap of the episode.
If you’re curious to hear more from Vorga and Egehan, you can listen to the full conversation on Spotify or YouTube.

Açık Kaynak is just getting started!

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