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Ford Otosan

Co-founded by Ford Otosan&rsquo;s subsidiary Gembox and İşbank&rsquo;s Maxis, the pioneering open-architecture fund aims to transform T&uuml;rkiye into a global mobility technology hub by uniting industry giants, strategic investors, and high-impact tech scale-ups under one roof.
In a major move to accelerate the global competitiveness of the regional mobility ecosystem,&nbsp;Gembox (a subsidiary of Ford Otosan) and Maxis Venture Capital (a subsidiary of T&uuml;rkiye İş Bankası (İşbank)) have officially launched the "Future of Mobility Venture Capital Investment Fund" (FOM). Announced at a prominent launch event in Istanbul, the pioneering fund debuts with an initial target size of $50 million, having successfully completed its Capital Markets Board (SPK) approval processes.
The fund introduces a structurally unique "open architecture" design to the region. Rather than functioning as a closed corporate venture tool for a single entity, FOM is built as an inclusive, highly collaborative ecosystem platform. It invites other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tier-1 suppliers, strategic investors, and technology corporations to join as stakeholders. This collaborative framework aims to position T&uuml;rkiye&mdash;already Europe&rsquo;s commercial vehicle production powerhouse&mdash;as a premier global hub for mobility tech.
Bridging Corporate Agility with Industrial Scale
Unlike traditional venture capital models that strictly provide financial backing, the Future of Mobility Fund focuses heavily on operational enablement and real-world commercialization. A primary objective of the fund is to allow established corporate industrial structures to benefit directly from the disruptive, agile technological solutions developed by start-ups.
Concurrently, selected startups will gain access to a fully integrated platform that goes far beyond capital. The fund guarantees tangible business outcomes by granting entrepreneurs access to:
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Real Problem Areas &amp; Field Data: Validating tech solutions against actual industrial challenges.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Pilot Applications &amp; Proof of Concept (PoC): Testing innovations in live manufacturing and logistics environments.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Technical Feedback &amp; Deep Engineering: Leveraging Ford Otosan's deep technical expertise and scale-up know-how to drastically reduce time-to-market.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;Investment Verticals and Target Profile
FOM will primarily target scale-ups and growth-stage tech companies that have already achieved product-market fit and are ready to disrupt the global value chain. With a strong emphasis on deep tech and artificial intelligence (AI) integrations, the fund&rsquo;s core investment focus includes:
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Mobility Technologies &amp; Automotive Systems</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Industry 4.0 &amp; Advanced Manufacturing Tech</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Sustainability &amp; Energy Management</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Battery &amp; EV Charging Solutions</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Connected Services, Data Analytics &amp; AI Applications</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Customer Experience (CX)</li>
</ul>
Leadership Insights
Speaking at the launch event, G&uuml;ven &Ouml;zyurt, General Manager of Ford Otosan, highlighted the strategic necessity of the initiative amid shifting industrial competition in Europe:
"Maintaining our industrial competitiveness in the European market is a strategic imperative. T&uuml;rkiye must stand as an ecosystem player that co-develops, produces, and responds flexibly to European customer needs. At Ford Otosan, we sit at the heart of a massive industrial ecosystem spanning engineering, manufacturing, and exports. With FOM, we are opening up the extensive experience we built through Driventure since 2019 to a much wider audience. There is more than just capital behind this fund&mdash;there is real field experience, engineering depth, customer access, and scaling knowledge. We are laying the foundation, and we invite the entire Turkish automotive sector to grow this fund together."
İlknur İlkyaz G&uuml;l, General Manager of Gembox, emphasized the vision of accelerating breakthrough tech:
"Through Ford Otosan and Driventure, we have pioneered many firsts at the intersection of industry, R&amp;D, and tech entrepreneurship. With the Future of Mobility Fund, we are taking this a step further. Our goal is not just providing capital, but connecting startups with the real-world needs of the industry, giving them the data, validation, and market scale they need to become global success stories."
Concluding the launch,&nbsp;&Ouml;zg&uuml;r Temel, General Manager of Maxis Venture Capital, stated that the fund will serve as a catalyst for industrial transformation:
"At Maxis, we look beyond standard portfolio management to build high-impact partnerships. By combining our fund management expertise with the industrial might of Ford Otosan&rsquo;s Gembox, we are thrilled to launch a fund that will act as a catalyst for the mobility vertical. With an initial target of $50 million, we aim to invest in high-impact, primarily T&uuml;rkiye-based mobility startups that are poised for global scaling."