117 builders, one Friday deadline

Private Istanbul founder room dispatch

Build Fridays Istanbul First room shipped. Next room is May 15. 117 people on the list. KOSGEB closes May 8. Reply for the WhatsApp room.

Hey,

This is the first COMPOUND - Istanbul newsletter after Build Fridays Istanbul #1.

That first room left three things behind: 117 people on the list, a real funding deadline this Friday, and enough unfinished work to justify a WhatsApp group before the next room.

I'm Resat Ugur Ulu. We've probably met in the room already. If not, I'm the founder of Fuego Labs, and for the last six months I have been full-time on Graphyn.

I write COMPOUND as a private newsletter for approved readers: devs tired of throwaway AI sessions. What broke. What worked. What is worth turning into a workflow.

This is the private Istanbul edition. While Build Fridays Istanbul is running, this newsletter will carry the useful room artifacts: deadlines, RSVPs, decks, notes, asks, and people worth meeting.

I also stream daily on YouTube with focus music in the background. It is not a show. It is a room. Join when you feel down often and need a little pressure to keep the rhythm.

It has been almost ten days since the first Build Fridays Istanbul room at Komünite Space on April 24.

First room hosted by Fatih Guner, Umut Karapece, and Ikbal Orucu have been doing the invisible work: opening the doors, holding the space, and making it possible for people to come build. We're lucky to have their support.

It also needs saying: that support is the unglamorous part that makes a seven-hour builder room possible. Space, power, Wi-Fi, and enough belief to say yes early.

I got sick after the event and had to take a mandatory break. Annoying, but useful: the room kept replaying in my head.

Build Fridays is not a networking night where everyone performs startup. It is laptops open, half-built things on screen, someone fixing a signup flow, someone else finding the one intro that unblocks the week.

That is the movement: show up with the work, make the work move, leave with proof.

Proof, not vibe

Not a giant list. A dense one. Aggregate only, privacy intact: no names, emails, companies, phone numbers, or private notes.

117 People on the first-room list	28 Checked in on April 24
Broad role mix Founder / operator 48 / 41% Technical builder 28 / 24% Product / design / growth 13 / 11% Other / learning / not listed 28 / 24%

KOSGEB closes Friday

The Girişimci Destek Programı / İş Geliştirme Çağrısı is open until Friday, May 8.

The 2026 second-period call can provide up to 2 million TL in support, depending on the track and evaluation. Relevant sectors include software, data, telecom, manufacturing, and R&D.

If this fits what you are building, look at it today. Do not leave the application to the last hour.
Official announcement

Keep the room alive

Show up on May 15. Claim the fal credits at check-in. Reply if you want the WhatsApp invite.

Next room May 15 Komünite Space Friday, 16:00 to 23:00. Free. Bring your laptop. RSVP on Luma

Attendee perk $25 fal.ai credits at check-in No application. No waitlist. fal.ai Founder room WhatsApp Reply if you attended Build Fridays Istanbul #1. I will send the invite. Same contract: be useful, show the build, ask for the blocker, ship before you explain.

Builder notes worth acting on

While I was sick, three builder notes stood out.

GitHub Copilot moves to usage-based billing on June 1. If your team uses Copilot or Copilot Code Review, check the May preview bill and budget controls.
GitHub note

OpenAI is bringing models, Codex, and managed agents to AWS in limited preview. For teams already living inside AWS procurement, this is a cleaner path from experiment to production.
OpenAI note

Image model launches are moving app installs harder than chatbot upgrades. If you are building consumer AI, visual loops are now acquisition mechanics. Revenue is still the hard part.
TechCrunch note

Decks from the room

I also put the recent Istanbul decks online:

Build Fridays Istanbul founder room opener (April 24, 2026)

What coding agents really are (April 21, 2026)

Claude for Solopreneurs workflow deck (April 17, 2026)

If you have a useful ask for the room, reply with it too. One person, one verb, one clear thing you need.

Find me at the next event if you've read this far. I'll give you special merch :)