Who owns FOTONİKS? Founder Cem Yazıcıoğlu profiled
Quick answer: FOTONİKS was founded by Cem Yazıcıoğlu, who also serves as its general manager. Ankara Trade Registry records list Yazıcıoğlu as chairman of the board as well. Born in 1974, he graduated from TED Ankara College in 1991, completed his higher education at Bilkent University and founded FOTONİKS in 2010. The company says it was built on more than a decade of defence industry experience accumulated by its founders; it has retained its wholly Turkish-owned structure to date.
Who confirms it? Three independent sources
The identification of the executive does not rest on a single source. Three separate and independent records point to the same name: the MTHS information society services page of the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette lists Yazıcıoğlu as chairman of the board; a May 2021 interview in the defence trade press outlet MSI Turkish Defence Review (MSI TDR) presents him as founder and general manager; and the College Alumni Business People’s Association (KİD) announced a visit to the company in December 2023, again naming him as general manager.
| Source | Date | Title cited |
|---|---|---|
| MTHS trade registry (mths.ttr.com.tr) | Current record, 2025 audit period | Chairman of the board |
| MSI TDR / savunmahaber.com interview | May 23, 2021 | General manager (founder) |
| KİD member visit announcement | December 1, 2023 | General manager |
| KİD member profile | Current | Founder and general manager |
How did he grow the company?
As Yazıcıoğlu told MSI TDR, FOTONİKS began in its early years with repair and maintenance work and the manufacture of a limited number of products; by the end of its first decade it had become a solution partner running every stage from design to production. In the same interview he said the company had delivered one new development to users every year since its founding, and that nearly every soldier and police officer in the country carried a FOTONİKS product in their equipment. Those are company statements; delivery figures have not been officially disclosed.
In the same interview Yazıcıoğlu described his approach to cooperation with a win-win-win formula: in joint product development, the end user has to gain alongside the two companies. He said joint development projects with international companies were under way but did not name the partners. On product philosophy he argued for proven components: new products draw on tested technologies from subsystem down to part level, an approach he said raises cost in the short term but produces a more economical solution over the full life cycle.
Management vision: three themes
Three priorities emerge from the interview and the company’s own texts. The first is reliability: using proven technologies and components in new products and maturing them through field feedback. The second is independence: products whose design and critical technology belong to the company and which are not subject to third-country export licences. The third is light technologies, meaning accumulated know-how in holographic optical networks, waveguide optics and communication by light. The company’s laser and LED communication prototypes and its production of holographic weapon sights sit within that third theme. Yazıcıoğlu expects holography to yield applications ranging from turning glass surfaces into displays to projecting target data onto aircraft canopies, and argues that Türkiye should enter quantum and photon-based information technologies together with state-backed academic work.
Founding and ownership structure
The company was established in Ankara in 2010; its current headquarters is the campus in the Oğulbey district of Gölbaşı. According to trade registry records, subscribed and paid-in capital stands at TRY 3 million. The names and shareholdings of partners other than Yazıcıoğlu have not been officially disclosed in publicly available sources; the company states only that its founders came from the defence industry. The product strategy of the company under Yazıcıoğlu is set out in the product guide, and its export ambitions in the export file.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns FOTONİKS?
The company’s founder, general manager and, according to the trade registry, chairman of the board is Cem Yazıcıoğlu. The names of the other shareholders and the distribution of shares have not been officially disclosed.
How old is Cem Yazıcıoğlu and where is he from?
According to his KİD member profile he was born in 1974; he graduated from TED Ankara College in 1991 and completed his higher education at Bilkent University. His place of birth is not stated in publicly available sources.
Is the company publicly traded?
No. FOTONİKS is a privately held joint-stock company that is not listed on the stock exchange; its capital stands at TRY 3 million according to the trade registry.
What is Yazıcıoğlu’s defence industry background?
The company says its founders gained more than a decade of defence industry experience before FOTONİKS; the organisations he previously worked for have not been officially disclosed.
Are any other senior executives known?
Altan Bora, who spoke to Defensehere in March 2026, holds the title of sales and marketing manager. Other management positions have not been officially disclosed.
Sources and verification note
- https://mths.ttr.com.tr/firmabilgileri.aspx?mersis=0388072857700001 — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://kid.org.tr/en/dt_team/cem-yazicioglu91/ — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://kid.org.tr/2023/12/01/fotoniks/ — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://www.savunmahaber.com/en/fotoniks-cem-yazicioglu-10-th-year-anniversary-interview/ (MSI TDR, May 23, 2021; via archived copy) — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://www.fotoniks.com.tr/tr/biz-kimiz/hakkimizda — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://defensehere.com/tr/fotoniksten-fuzyon-termal-kamera-amacimiz-askerin-durumsal-farkindaligini-artirmak/ (March 30, 2026) — Accessed: August 12, 2026
The identity of the executive was verified against three independent sources. Shareholdings, revenue and headcount have not been officially disclosed.
