Polkadot 2026 Turkey Business Development and Ecosystem Growth Plan – Istanbul-Based

Governance
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Polkadot 2026 Turkey Business Development and Ecosystem Growth Plan – Istanbul-Based

1. Overview and Timeframe

This business development and ecosystem growth plan covers a 12-month period from January 2026 to January 2027.
The primary objective of the plan is to establish sustainable developer adoption of the Polkadot ecosystem in Turkey, build university-based builder communities, and strengthen long-term parachain adoption.

Activities will be conducted primarily in Istanbul, with strategic collaborations formed with selected universities, technology clubs, and Web3 communities across Turkey.

2. Strategic Objectives

Within the scope of this plan, the following strategic objectives are pursued:

  • Building a qualified and sustainable developer talent pool for the Polkadot ecosystem in Turkey

  • Providing direct access to early-stage builders through university clubs

  • Delivering practical and comprehensible education on Polkadot’s technical architecture (Relay Chain, Parachains, Substrate)

  • Producing local hackathon and buildathon outputs for parachain projects

  • Introducing Polkadot’s hybrid blockchain architecture and enterprise use cases to the Turkish market

  • Increasing visibility and brand awareness of Polkadot at major technology and finance events in Turkey

3. Event and Education Model

3.1 Builders Meetup Program

  • Regular events will be organized, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 meetups per month.

  • A total of 12 to 36 physical or hybrid Builders Meetups are targeted throughout the year.

  • Events will be co-organized with university blockchain and technology communities.

The target participant profile includes individuals from the following disciplines:

  • Computer Engineering

  • Software Engineering

  • Management Information Systems

  • Economics, Finance, and FinTech communities

  • Web3 developers and entrepreneurs

3.2 Education System and Content Structure

Training programs will be designed with a modular and progressive structure, tailored to participants’ knowledge levels.

Module 1: Polkadot Fundamentals and Consensus Architecture

This module focuses on Polkadot’s core architecture and security model. Topics include:

  • Detailed explanation of the Polkadot Relay Chain architecture

  • Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS) consensus mechanism

  • Roles and responsibilities of Validators, Nominators, and Collators

  • Shared security model and network security approach

  • Polkadot’s Layer-0 architecture and its differences from other networks

Module 2: Substrate Workshop (Technical Training)

This module provides hands-on technical training for developers, aiming to deliver practical experience in Substrate-based blockchain development.

  • Introduction to the Substrate framework architecture

  • Runtime structure and execution logic

  • Pallet architecture and customization processes

  • Custom blockchain development examples

  • Introduction to parachain development

  • Testnet environments and local node setups

Module 3: Hybrid Blockchain and Enterprise Use Cases

This module focuses on enterprise and hybrid usage scenarios enabled by the Polkadot infrastructure.

  • General operation of hybrid blockchains built on Polkadot

  • Public and private chain integration models

  • Enterprise identity, data privacy, and regulatory compliance

  • DeFi, RWA, DePIN, and enterprise Web3 use cases

4. Hackathon Planning

  • Two parachain-focused hackathons are planned within the 12-month period.

  • Hackathons will be conducted in collaboration with selected Polkadot parachain projects.

  • Organizations will be carried out together with universities and local Web3 communities.

Targeted hackathon outputs include:

  • MVP-level decentralized applications (dApps)

  • Substrate-based chain experiments

  • Parachain integration ideas and proof-of-concepts (PoCs)

Successful teams will be guided toward:

  • Polkadot Grants

  • Parachain accelerator programs

  • Global hackathons and buildathons

5. Integration with Major Events in Turkey

The plan includes integration with the following major events:

  • Istanbul Blockchain Week

  • Web3 and FinTech summits

  • University technology festivals

  • Artificial intelligence and blockchain-focused conferences

At these events, the following activities will be conducted to drive developer acquisition and brand visibility:

  • Speaker participation

  • Workshops and side events

  • Polkadot booths or community meetups

6. Team Structure and Competencies

6.1 Sadık Emre ALKAN

Business Development, Ecosystem, and University Relations Lead

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. A business development professional who evaluates crypto assets and blockchain projects through the lenses of fundamental analysis, governance structures, and sustainable ecosystem growth, and who has actively contributed to market development, university partnerships, and community building for Layer-1 blockchain networks in Turkey.

Below are the roles undertaken and concrete contributions delivered on a per-project basis.

Concordium – Turkey Representation & Commercial Partnerships

Role: Turkey Representative – Business Development and Ecosystem Expansion

Key Contributions:

  • Positioning Concordium’s MiCA-compliant, identity-layered Layer-1 architecture for the Turkish market

  • Establishing an Education Academy, including:

    • Regular dissemination of Concordium’s technical and governance structures

    • Simplified and visual content shared consistently on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn

  • Raising awareness among Turkish developers and enterprises regarding:

    • Regulatory compliance

    • Identity-based blockchain infrastructures

  • Conducting commercial partnership and integration discussions with:

    • Curve

    • Brickken

    • Request

    • Arkham

    • Cheqd

Reason for Conclusion:

  • Global CEO transition at Concordium

  • Temporary suspension of global representation and ambassador programs during the transition

Qubic – Turkey Community Management & Representation

Role: Turkey Community Manager and Local Representative

Key Contributions:

  • Introduction of Qubic’s DAO-based Layer-1 architecture to the Turkish community

  • Social media initiatives including:

    • Technical educational content

    • Ecosystem explanations

    • Engagement-driven meme production (X & LinkedIn)

  • Publication of technical and conceptual articles on Medium covering:

    • Qubic’s consensus structure

    • DAO mechanisms

  • Physical and online events:

    • Selçuk University – Physical introduction and training event

    • TOBB University of Economics and Technology – Online introduction event

    • Yıldız Technical University – Speaker participation at an AI & Technology event

  • Managing Qubic’s main sponsorship participation at Istanbul Blockchain Week

DAO and Technical Governance Expertise:

  • Qubic DAO proposal and block approval mechanism:

    • Blocks processed by 676 “Computers” (miners)

    • Block approval with 451 valid votes

  • In-depth analysis of DAO governance, voting structures, and centralization risks

Reason for Departure:

  • DAO governance shifting under the control of a specific group

  • Strategic disagreements related to the Monero network’s 51% attack

  • Professional separation due to centralization concerns

BlockDAG – Turkey Business Development

Role: Turkey Business Development and University Relations

Key Contributions:

  • Developer- and university-focused builder growth strategies in Turkey

  • University events:

    • Middle East Technical University (METU) – Builders Meetup organization

    • Boğaziçi University – Participation in the “Finance Break” event organized by the Business and Finance Club

  • Hackathon and buildathon involvement:

    • Stellar Hackathon

    • Bybit + Tether Hackathon

  • Guiding numerous developers toward:

    • Hackathon and buildathon participation

    • Active involvement in technical production processes

Current Status:

  • Temporary suspension of technical and community-focused activities due to BlockDAG’s restructuring and transition phase

Personal Vision and Approach

My goal in my country is to build a blockchain and Web3 ecosystem where:

  • High-quality ideas are not only discussed

  • They are translated into real production

  • Growth is sustained through the university–developer–industry triangle

6.2 Berk Deniz Çakır – Technical Lead and Builder Coordination

  • Management Information Systems student at Işık University

  • Active executive member of the Işık Blockchain Club

  • Smart contract development and Web3 infrastructure experience

  • Hackathon experience in the Sui and Monad ecosystems

  • Freelance Web3 developer and technical documentation contributor

  • University–industry collaboration and Alchemy Pay event organization experience

Focus Areas: Substrate education, technical workshops, developer mentorship, and hackathon processes.

6.3 Mert Ali Dalkır – Community and Operations Manager

  • Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems

  • Founder and President of the Işık University Blockchain Club

  • Leader of the Işık Technology Clubs Union

  • Board member of the Web3 Technologies Association

  • Organization of 100+ events and 20+ hackathons

  • Community management and business development experience

  • Partnerships with global exchanges and Web3 agencies

Focus Areas: Community building, operational processes, event organization, and partner management.

7. Long-Term Vision

The core vision of this plan is to establish a permanent, production-oriented Polkadot builder ecosystem in Turkey.
The objective is not merely to organize events, but to cultivate developer teams that consistently produce value and are fully integrated into the global ecosystem.

Long-term targeted outcomes include:

  • Polkadot-based projects originating from Turkey

  • Developer teams working directly with parachains

  • Local communities fully integrated with the global Polkadot ecosystem

The overall structure of the proposed activities is outlined above.
The plan may be refined and enhanced based on recommendations from the Polkadot DAO.
Upon positive evaluation by the Polkadot DAO, the first event proposal will be submitted.

Respectfully,

Sadık Emre ALKAN
Berk Deniz Çakır
Mert Ali Dalkıran

The feedback process will take a week.

In the meantime, Hello Polkadot ! :slight_smile:

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Is it a discussion to prepare for a coming OpenGov ref ?

Unfortunately, there is almost 0 chance for it to pass if it’s the case. :sweat_smile:

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No, it has nothing to do with OpenGov. This offer is for promotional, developmental, and educational purposes. If you have any suggestions regarding the offer, please let us know. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Ok but what do you expect from the community ?

Does it mean you will do all these actions and events for free ?

NB: the new guideline for 2026 events should (TBC) turn towards web2 events, not web3.

So all the “blockchain” events you propose may be irrelevant.

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Of course, these events will be subject to certain fees.

However, we will try to prioritize minimum cost and maximum benefit as much as we can.

We aim to progress by creating Web3-based events.

What I write is just about getting the opinions of the community.We want the community to guide us on the business plan we are writing. Suggestions would be great.

The first pilot event proposal will be submitted on the first weekend of 2026.

The main purpose is to develop the Polkadot ecosystem.

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And your proposal will be rejected i insist.

You should read/learn about the current guidelines of W3F and the current set of events leading to the closing of bounties.

The last similar ref in comparison to what you are proposing was rejected.

And these guys have a strong reputation in the eco, which unfortunately you don’t.

I’m just warning you that are wasting time here.
But if you want to continue, of course you’re free.

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We do not wish to do things solely to gain favor with certain circles.

We want to continue development for Polkadot with a more productive infrastructure.

By the way, rest assured, we have a very strong network within the Turkish ecosystem.

Once we make the first pilot offer, they will see how strong the positive feedback will be if it is accepted.

By the way, yes, Hungary and Europe are not as influential as Turkey.

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is it look like tho? cuz it looks like its community growth operations in turkey :smiley:

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:clap::clap:absolutely correct. Do your best guys