A lot happened in 2023! There was so much going on around us and we achieved so much here at Commencis. Let’s review everything just to make sure you’re up to date. First, we’ll start with Commencis’ backstory of the year, namely what was going on in the world outside.

The year 2023 started with a series of devastating natural disasters worldwide, including seismic tremors, massive floods, raging wildfires, unrelenting droughts, landslides, cyclones, and storms, which led to the death and displacement of tens of thousands. The most destructive event was a twin earthquake with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 that struck southern Turkey on February 6. An estimated 14 million people, representing 16 percent of Turkey’s population, were affected. After this event, which caused great sorrow and deeply affected our people, we at Commencis acted swiftly to assist the local community, providing timely and effective aid in response to the challenging conditions following the natural disaster.

Besides these tragic events, 2023 was further troubled by ongoing wars and conflicts, worsening the global situation. These led to widespread destruction and the displacement of over 114 million people worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian aid and international cooperation to address these profound challenges.

On the other hand, the year 2023 has also been marked by remarkable technological advancements. Innovations in fields such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, space exploration, and medical research have continued to evolve at a rapid pace. These developments are not only pushing the boundaries of what’s possible but are also offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, including climate change, healthcare, and digital connectivity. The technological landscape of 2023 is characterized by both breakthroughs and the widespread adoption of emerging technologies, signaling a transformative period in the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us.

GPT-4, the artificial intelligence model developed by OpenAI, marks a significant advancement in natural language processing, deep learning, AI ethics, and visual processing. As reported by a UBS study in January 2023, the app boasted approximately 100 million monthly active users. According to other resources, ChatGPT attracted close to 1.7 billion visits globally in October. This expansion into visual capabilities, along with innovations in Adobe’s creative tools, is transforming how AI interacts with and enhances digital media and design.

In 2023, significant innovations in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have enhanced user experiences in education, gaming, and remote collaboration, with AR offering more immersive interactions and VR achieving increased realism and comfort. This year, the Meta Quest 3 VR model, known for its enhanced switching technology, high-resolution displays, and superior graphics, has seen more detailed feature descriptions.

Battery electric vehicle sales in Europe’s 5 largest markets increased by 26% in the first quarter of 2023. This is compared to the same period of the previous year.

In 2023, scientists made strides in combating organ shortages by genetically engineering pigs for human-compatible organs and 3D-printing lungs using patients’ own cells, aiming to significantly increase transplantable organ availability.

Moreover, the chip industry witnessed a pivotal change with the emergence of RISC-V, an open standard that made chip design more accessible, allowing numerous startups to innovate and challenge established firms’ dominance.

There was a significant increase in the use of drones in 2023, with applications expanding in both military operations and commercial delivery services, highlighting drone technology’s evolving roles.

As the year unfolded, we simultaneously observed numerous changes at Commencis. Our global collaborations have brought about rapid team growth. Commencis employee numbers have increased by 51% since the beginning of 2022. We have grown to more than 350 employees in 2023, which not only reflects our success but also brings new energy and ideas to our work.

We have transitioned to our new office premises, a move that has opened doors to enhanced interactions and collaborations with our team, stakeholders, and clients. This move to a new office not only shows our growth but also creates an active and cooperative atmosphere for everyone involved.

This year, Commencis cooperated with big brands such as Air Astana, Turkcell, Transavia and one of the largest financial institutions in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, we continued to help amazing brands grow and scale in digital such as İş Bank, Pegasus Airlines, MetLife, Denizbank, ING Bank, Burgan Bank, BSH, Vestel, Arçelik and many others. Here are some highlights:

• Our new partner this year is cloud-based content management platform Kontent.ai. that enables organizations to meaningfully engage with their customers. Together, we are dedicated to providing consistent content experiences and developing innovative digital products, establishing a solid base for continual innovation and success.
• While the number of İşCep users reached 13.6 million, 1 in 4 investment transactions were made through İşCep. At the same time, the app was visited 18 million times a day by users. Moreover, we helped develop the Geleceğe Orman (Forest Forward) program with İşbank towards a more sustainable future. Forest for the Future allows İşCep users to earn carbon points in exchange for normal daily activities and environmentally friendly banking transactions. They can then donate these points to plant trees and build a forest for the future.
• The Pegasus mobile app received the Altın Örümcek award in the Tourism and Travel Category for Best Mobile Application, and in the Shopping Category for Best Website. This recognition highlights our significant impact, as evidenced by over 50% of all ticket sales occurring through our platforms, and our reach extending to over 70m users across our digital channels.
• The upcoming release of Burgan Bank’s ON Mobile App, which we have been working on throughout 2023, will provide an improved and simplified user experience, enhancing convenience for all users.
• Beyon Money is celebrating its 2nd anniversary in Bahrain. Moreover, Beyon Money application started operating in the United Arab Emirates with its remittance and open banking features.
• We provided strategic digital consultancy to DenizBank, supporting their vision for the future, where AR & VR technology played a significant role as a key component of this initiative. Our collaborative efforts are focused on developing a highly modern application, designed to enhance the user experience significantly.
• Leveraging the expertise of our Commencis Cloud team, we have facilitated prominent brands such as BSH, Vestel, and Arçelik in harnessing AWS cloud services to build infrastructures that significantly enhance performance, optimizing their digital operations to an advanced degree.

To date, Commencis has prepared a total of 13 reports on the latest trends and developments in the industry. These reports are supplemented with a series of blogs, insights, and other posts about the latest digital business solutions and trends in technology. Our latest trend report ‘Navigating the digital future: Innovations and UX Trends for Airlines‘ were in the news.

All of these contribute to the 42 blog posts we published in 2023. Additionally, we offer a variety of captivating podcasts on topics related to design, engineering, and product industries, reaching an audience of 2.4K listeners.

Commencis University refers to a set of training programs designed to help develop the next generation of people working in industry. First, our Future Commencer Internship Program essentially trains software engineers how to work in the field over a 6-week period. This year it ran from July 24th to September 1st and helped teach applicants how to be part of a multi-functional team. We have received more than 3000 applications, and 25 interns were part of our program. And now, more than 20 of them are working as part-time or full-time members of our team.

Commencis Cloud Camp 2023 held its annual Cloud Camp for the 5th time in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). 25 university students participated in the free-of-charge 6-week online training program. Over the 6 weeks, they developed their cloud computing skills and got a look into the future of cloud computing technology. Students emerged from the camp ready to begin their careers in the field of Cloud Computing, having acquired the necessary skills and competencies to help them along the way. Next year’s camp is just around the corner, starting on January 23rd and running through February 29th, 2024.

Commencis Cloud Horizons Summit, held on November 9 at the Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, brought together tech leaders from various industries. Organized by Commencis in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Trend Micro, the summit focused on discussions about the effects of digital transformation and cloud technologies on the business world.

Also, this year we sponsored or participated in 36 events in total. Every year, like most companies, we’re used to hosting important industry events. Here are some of these events:

• Future of CIO Summit – April 26, 2023
• İTÜ Career Fair – May 3, 2023
• METU Career Fair – May 8-9, 2023
• Bilkent University Career Fair – May 10-11, 2023
• Bilkent CS Fair – June 2, 2023
• Endeavor Scale Up Summit – September 21, 2023
• AWS Cloud Day Türkiye – Gold Sponsor – October 3, 2023
• İTÜ Çekirdek Game Changers Talks – October 12, 2023
• Gitex Global Dubai – October 16-20, 2023
• Commencis Cloud Horizons Summit – November 9, 2023
• JS Conference 2023 – November 18, 2023
• World Aviation Day Summit – November 27-28, 2023
• AWS re:Invent 2023 – November 27, December 3, 2023

While actively attending and sponsoring various external events, we also enjoyed happy weekdays filled with numerous workshops, art tours, breakfasts, lunches, and the vibrant Commencis Summer Campus. During this time, 27 Commencer activities were created, each contributing to the dynamic and engaging culture of our company.

This year, our third Commencis Summer Campus was held in Antalya at the Nirvana Mediterranean Excellence in Antalya, Kemer from June 10th to end of mid-September. All employees and their families were invited to join, and worked in the luxury, all-inclusive resort right at one of the most beautiful bays of Antalya, Kemer. Interns and family members as well as employees of Dataroid and Finbyte joined in, with employees continuing to work remotely from the resort in rotations as they enjoyed the weather and beautiful surroundings. Over 600 people attended the Commencis Summer Campus, including family members.

In keeping with our “We are one community” value, our traditional New Year’s party brought together employees and customers. This festive event strengthened our community bonds and celebrated our collective achievements, setting a positive tone for the future.

It’s no surprise to us, but we’d still like to highlight the awards and recognition we received for all of our hard work and efforts over the course of the year:

Global Finance – World’s Best Digital Banks Awards 2023
We placed ‘World’s Best Mobile Banking App’ with İşBank’s app İşCep. İşBank’s app İşCep was praised for its user-friendly interface, convenient features, and level of security.

21st Altın Örümcek Awards
The Pegasus mobile app received the Altın Örümcek award in the Tourism and Travel Category for Best Mobile Application and in the Shopping Category for Best Website.

We congratulate both our İşCep and Pegasus teams on this tremendous success.

AWS Advertising and Marketing Technology Services Competency Partner

We have officially become an AWS Digital Customer Experience Competency partner. With this esteemed accreditation, the Commencis Cloud team, as an AWS Digital Customer Experience Competency partner, excels at delivering solutions and experiences across multiple channels to ensure that you can reach your end customers in a targeted and personalized manner. With our deep understanding of AWS technologies, we’re ready to help you create targeted, engaging experiences that leave a lasting impact.

AWS Well-Architected Competency Partner

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has recognized Commencis as a Well-Architected Program Partner. With this accreditation, we have gained expertise in helping organizations establish sound architectural habits, implement best practices, reduce risk, and respond faster to changes that affect designs, applications, and workloads.

Social Responsibility

For years, our focus has been on the future, sustainability, and social awareness, especially in supporting environmental projects both inside and outside of Turkey. Recognizing the urgent threat of man-made climate change, we are committed to working collectively towards a healthier, better world.

We are committed to preserving Turkey’s rich biodiversity, now under threat from climate change and forest fires. That’s why we support ‘Anatolia Ancient Nature‘, a comprehensive documentary by Burak Doğansoysal and his team, focusing on Anatolia’s endangered species. The documentary, serving as a visual inventory of Anatolia’s unique natural heritage, has completed all filming, with the first teaser already being broadcast internationally. Set for release in 2024, it’s an important step in safeguarding our ecological legacy. Catch the latest trailer and support the team by subscribing to their YouTube channel and following them on Instagram.

2023 was a very busy and important year for us and the whole world. Throughout the year, we worked with some prestigious brands, added more people to our team, and got even closer to our partners around the world. We made sure to keep up with the big news and trends in our industry. Our skills and good reputation in our field helped us start working with some big companies in different areas.

In 2024, our ambition is to collaborate with more brands and create a significant impact on a global scale. Our goal is to expand our global footprint and reach new markets and audiences. This expansion is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. We extend our sincere gratitude to all our stakeholders and customers who have been pivotal in our journey. A big thank you to everyone who supported us this year. We’re excited about the new things coming up and can’t wait to experience them with you. Happy New Year!