The Rise and Fall of Kaiyo: When the Circular Economy Met Venture Reality
When Kaiyo launched in New York in 2014, the timing seemed almost perfect. Millennials were moving into cities, sustainability was becoming a core consumer value, and the idea of a “circular economy” was quickly migrating from academic papers into venture capital pitch decks. Kaiyo promised to do something deceptively simple: make buying and selling high-quality, pre-owned furniture as seamless as shopping new—while keeping bulky items out of landfills. In practice, it was anything but simple. Kaiyo was founded by Alpay Koraltürk, a New York–based entrepreneur who experienced firsthand the inefficiencies of the urban furniture market. Like many city dwellers, Koraltürk had faced the familiar dilemma: high-quality furniture was expensive to buy new, difficult to resell, and often ended up discarded simply because moving or coordinating a sale was too cumbersome.
- Published in Professionals
- Written by Admin TOA
Fat Sal’s Italian Specialties Gourmet Market & Deli, a long-established local favorite in Bayville, New Jersey, is welcoming customers with a refreshed look and expanded offerings following its acquisition by Turkish entrepreneur Fatih Akarsu last October. With a renewed management vision, the business has undergone a comprehensive transformation, offering a more complete and elevated gourmet market experience to the community.
Ali Dayı, who came to the United States in 2006 through the Work and Travel program, now operates a 40,000 square foot warehouse in Hackensack, New Jersey. From this facility, he provides 3PL, warehousing, and logistics services to nearly 50 companies looking to expand from Turkey into the U.S. market. He coordinates the entire process from storage to final delivery for firms selling on platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, Target, eBay, and Shopify. With his own truck fleet, Dayı offers intra- and interstate transportation services, employing a total of 25 people through his offices in both the U.S. and Turkey.
