A Look Back at Commencis and the World in 2024

Despite these challenges, 2024 was also a remarkable year for technology. OpenAI released GPT-5, which brought smarter and more accessible AI tools for individuals and businesses. Quantum computing moved from theory to practice, solving complex problems in fields like healthcare and finance. The electric vehicle (EV) market saw rapid growth, with European sales increasing by 35% thanks to better batteries, expanded charging infrastructure, and government incentives.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) expanded far beyond gaming, finding new uses in healthcare, retail, and remote work. Apple’s Vision Pro, launched in February, introduced a more immersive way for people to connect and collaborate in virtual spaces.

The effects of climate change worsened this year, with more wildfires, floods, and heatwaves disrupting millions of lives. Alongside these environmental challenges, political shifts also made headlines. In the U.S., Donald Trump was re-elected as president, sparking debates over climate policy, global diplomacy, and domestic priorities. Moreover, it has been a year of ongoing instability in the Middle East, marked by political disorder, internal divisions, and escalating regional tensions that continued to shape the region’s challenges.

Looking back, 2024 was a year of significant challenges but also extraordinary progress. At Commencis, we are delighted to have been part of this wave of innovation, leading projects that have made a real difference. Our team grew by 12% this year, a significant leap forward that reflects our commitment to growth and innovation. Diversity is a cornerstone of our success, with a workforce composed of 59% male and 41% female employees—a team that thrives together. Stay tuned as we share our key achievements from an unforgettable year!

Our continued commitment to contributing leading brands on digital channels.

This year, Commencis continued its collaborations across the MENA region, partnering with one of the largest banks in Saudi Arabia and a leading airline in Europe. Additionally, we strengthened our partnerships with major brands such as Air Astana, Turkcell, BSH and Beko Europe.

Moreover, we continued to help amazing brands grow and scale in digital, such as İşbank, Pegasus Airlines, MetLife, Denizbank, Burgan Bank, Vestel, and many others.

In March, we launched Commencis LLM, our Turkish-fluent large language model, which marked a major milestone in our AI capabilities. Here are some highlights:

• We launched Commence AI, an intelligent, context-aware chatbot designed to revolutionize customer support. Powered by advanced AI and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), it delivers accurate, personalized responses instantly, adapting to the unique needs of industries like finance and e-commerce. Experience smarter, seamless, and efficient customer interactions with Commence AI.
• Our partnership with Mastercard has driven success, enabling us to deliver innovative, scalable, and secure solutions across industries.
• We continued collaborating Kazakhstan’s flagship airline Air Astana to develop their mobile app, achieving 1.5 million annual visits and delivering over 50 newly developed features to enhance the user experience.
• While the number of İşCep users reached 16.6 million, İşbank’s mobile banking application was honored with the ‘World’s Best Mobile Banking Application’ award for the second time within the scope of the Best Digital Bank Awards organized by Global Finance, offering 740 transaction sets and 42 new features. Furthermore, İşCep’s ‘My Life with İşCep’ platform has engaged over 4.5 million users.
• The Pegasus mobile app received the prestigious ‘Best Mobile App of the Year’ award at the 22nd Altın Örümcek Awards. This recognition underscores our significant impact, with over 50% of all ticket sales occurring through our platforms and our reach extending to over 70 million users across our digital channels.
• Our collaboration with Kontent.ai was featured in the global press, highlighting its impact on innovative content solutions.
• Leveraging the expertise of our Commencis Cloud team, we have facilitated prominent brands such as BSH, Vestel, and Beko in harnessing AWS cloud services and integrating solutions like Datadog, Fortinet, Equinix to build infrastructures that significantly enhance performance, optimizing their digital operations to an advanced degree.
• Additionally, we have achieved over 100 AWS badges, reflecting our extensive expertise and deep mastery of AWS technologies.
• As a reflection of these achievements, Commencis was named the Consulting Partner of the Year in Turkey by AWS.

To date, Commencis has created a rich collection of reports on the latest trends and developments in the industry. These are complemented by a series of blogs, insights, and posts covering cutting-edge digital business solutions and technology trends.

All of these contribute to the 18 blog posts we published in 2024. Check out our two most-read articles, Commencis Introduces its Purpose-Built, Turkish-Fluent LLM for the Banking and Finance Industry and and Unveiling the Latest AI Industry Trends, to explore insights that have captivated our readers. Additionally, we offer a variety of captivating podcasts on topics related to design, engineering, and product industries.

Commencis Tech Academy continues to expand its reach, fostering the growth of countless aspiring tech professionals and bringing more new Commencers into its community. To build the next generation of talent, the academy has attracted over 9,000 applications from Future Commencers.

This year, a total of 10,000 applications were received for our Commencis Tech Academy programs, which include Cloud Camp, Test Camp, Future Commencer Internship, and Spring Boot Development Camp. Over 100 students had the opportunity to receive training, and additionally, 21 interns and 12 part-time employees joined our team.

This year, we sponsored or participated in 56 events, focusing on initiatives aimed at students, including career fairs, sector-oriented programs, and events that support the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Here are some of these events:

• Cloud Horizons Roundtable – 23 Feb 24
• Boğaziçi Ventures AI Summit – 27 Feb 24
• LEAP 2024 – 4 Mar 24
• Future of CIO Summit & Awards – 6 Mar 24
• Devnot Tech Leaders’ Summit – 7 Mar 24
• Uniglobal 15th Global Banking Innovation Forum & Expo – 25 Apr 24
• AWS Research Day – Koc University – 25 Apr 24
• Java Day İstanbul – 11 May 24
• Seamless Middle East – 14 May 24
• Money20/20 Europe – 4 Jun 24
• SaaStanbul Generative AI Event- 2 Jul 24
• Seamless Europe – 10-11 Sep 24
• AWS Cloud Day Türkiye 2024 – 24 Sep 24
• World Aviation Festival 2024 – 8 Oct 24
• Future Of AI & Cloud – 13 Nov 24
• CXO Roundtable – 26 Nov 24

This year, we expanded our internal activities to include a variety of engaging and team-building events such as trekking, marathon training, board games, lunch and breakfasts, and volleyball. While actively attending and sponsoring various external events, we also enjoyed happy weekdays filled with numerous happy hours, workshops, art tours, breakfasts, and lunches. During this time, 34 Commencer activities were organized, each contributing to our company’s dynamic and engaging culture.

In line with our “We are one community” value, we held our traditional New Year’s party, bringing together employees and customers. This fun event helped strengthen our connections and celebrate what we’ve achieved together, setting a positive tone for the year ahead.

For years, our focus has been on the future, sustainability, and social awareness, supporting environmental projects both in Turkey and abroad. One such project is the Anatolian Ancient Nature documentary, which we have backed for over three years as part of our commitment to addressing climate change and protecting biodiversity. We are proud to share that its filming is now complete. It will soon be available in Turkey as well. Catch the latest trailer and support the team by subscribing to their YouTube channel and following them on Instagram.

At Commencis, we believe in combining innovation with creativity and art. Along with our documentary sponsorship, we work with artists and showcase many artworks in our office, including No More Lies, Kaybid’s mural of a young Istanbulite riding a hoverboard through the streets of Istanbul.

These artworks bring life to our workspace and reflect our passion for technology, creativity, and culture. From his inspirations and artistic process to the meaning behind his vibrant work, we explored the vision and passion that define Kaybid’s unique style. You can learn more about this inspiring collaboration and discover his creative journey through this link.

2024 was a transformative year for us. We partnered with leading brands, grew our team, strengthened global connections, and trained young talent for the tech industry. It was a year of AI innovation, delivering impactful solutions that benefit a wide range of industries by enhancing efficiency and driving automation.

In 2025, we aim to expand globally, drive transformation with our AI products, and collaborate with more brands. This growth reflects our team’s dedication and our stakeholders’ support. Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to an exciting year ahead—Happy New Year!