Flagship product: WalkOVR

A wearable motion capture system that translates real body movement into VR locomotion — no treadmills, no room-scale setups. Custom hardware: IMU sensor nodes, proprietary PCB design, firmware, Unity and Unreal Engine integration. Shipped to 50+ countries.

What I actually built

WalkOVR wasn't a software side project. It was a full hardware product lifecycle — from soldering prototype boards in nation's top university accelerator lab to managing international DHL and FedEx shipments across customs borders of 50+ countries.

I designed the hardware architecture, wrote patent specifications, incorporated companies in Turkey and the US, ran a multi-platform crowdfunding campaign that raised ~$153K, negotiated with Silicon Valley VCs, secured multiple government R&D grants, and built a global direct-to-consumer operation — all with a small, talented and remote team.

The arc

University lab to patent (2015–2016) Started inside ITU Çekirdek, one of Turkey's top university incubators. sensor experiments, prototyping, PCB design, patent filing, and grant applications.

International pitch circuit (2017–2018) Won the Community Award at StartupLive Vienna. Pitched at Invest Istanbul London Demo Day, Boost.vc in Silicon Valley (SAFE agreement negotiation), Keiretsu Forum, and BIC Angels. Incorporated a US entity. Went through the Innogate US accelerator. Gathered together with our customers and field-tested WalkOVR in New York and San Francisco. Filed for international trademark protection.

Kickstarter and global shipping (2019) Launched and funded the Kickstarter campaign within 4 hours, then continued through Indiegogo and Japanese Campfire — raising approximately $153K in total across platforms. Joined the Brinc MENA hardware accelerator in Bahrain. Secured an EPIC Mega Grant from Epic Games. Unlike many Kickstarter products, successfully designed, manufactured and started shipping WalkOVR to 50+ countries while managing simultaneous R&D grants.

COVID pivot: GYMOVR (2020–2022) When the pandemic killed trade shows and hands-on VR demos overnight, I pivoted our proprietary motion capture technology into GYMOVR — a fitness gaming product. VR cycling, kayaking, and exercise games. Built with Unity, shipped as Android APKs, partnered with health companies. Filed a separate trademark. Kept the core business alive while the world was shut down.

Peak operations & chip crisis (2021–2023) Global e-commerce at scale, active R&D grants, international shipping operations running. Due diligence with potential acquirers. Chip crisis and the decline of the business due to global stock outages.

By the numbers

• ~8 years from first prototype to current state
• 50+ countries shipped
• ~$153K raised through crowdfunding (Kickstarter + Indiegogo)
• 2 products — WalkOVR (VR motion capture) and GYMOVR (fitness gaming)
• 2 companies — Rigel Teknoloji (Turkey) and Rigel Tech (US, Delaware)
• 6 accelerators & startup challenges — ITU Çekirdek, Boost.vc, Brinc MENA, Innogate UK, ITUGate, StartupLive Vienna
• 3 R&D grants & success awards — TUBITAK BIGG, TUBITAK 1507, TUBITAK 1501
• IP portfolio — 2 patents in trademarked in Germany and the UK, Global trademarks

What this journey taught me

Every capability I bring to product leadership was stress-tested here: hardware-software integration, international go-to-market, IP strategy, grant and investor fundraising, supply chain management, regulatory navigation across borders, pivoting under existential pressure, and building something from literally nothing with no safety net.

This wasn't a VC-funded sprint. It was a decade of bootstrapped execution — with very low Angel investor support, R&D grants, accelerator prices, crowdfunding, and real customer revenue.