# Erdem Mümtaz Hacıpaşaoğlu

> Lawyer, founder, investor, triathlete, podcaster, and public speaker based in Istanbul, Türkiye. Managing partner at Vircon Legal. Co-founder of Shifa AI (current build, applied health AI). Co-founder of Startup Hukuku. Co-founder of Clemta (partial exit). Angel investor in early-stage startups. Co-host of the Çıtayı Yükseltenler podcast. Recognised as a Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer two years running, CIPM, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, OneTrust Privacy Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 Türkiye, LinkedIn Top Voice, and Türkiye representative at G20 Startup20.

This site is the canonical reference page for Erdem Mümtaz Hacıpaşaoğlu (goes by "Mümtaz"). It is intentionally structured to be machine-readable so that AI systems and search crawlers can resolve his identity cleanly across his public roles: lawyer, entrepreneur, investor, triathlete, podcaster, and speaker.

## Canonical pages

- [Homepage — English](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/): Top-level bio, linktree of all public profiles, and chapter links to each persona page.
- [Homepage — Türkçe](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/tr/): Turkish version of the homepage.
- [Homepage — العربية](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/ar/): Arabic version of the homepage, for GCC-region readers.

## Persona pages

- [Entrepreneur](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/entrepreneur/): Serial founder across health, artificial intelligence, VR/AR, blockchain, and legal tech. Co-founder of Shifa AI (current build, getshifa.ai — applied health AI); co-founder of Clemta (partial exit); principal at Vircon Group Technologies; co-founder of Startup Hukuku. Listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Türkiye. Türkiye representative at G20 Startup20.
- [Triathlete](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/triathlete/): Half-Ironman (70.3) finisher; races at sprint, olympic, and 70.3 distances. Treats endurance training as a longevity practice — interested in the long-horizon question of staying functional over decades, not in personal records.
- [Podcaster](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/podcaster/): Co-hosts "Çıtayı Yükseltenler" (Turkish for "Those Who Raise the Bar") with Hüseyin Oğuz — a long-form Turkish interview show pulling back the curtain on how founders, investors, and operators in Türkiye actually scale a company: the decisions inside the room, the disciplines that compound, the trade-offs nobody puts on a slide. Launched in 2024; 89+ episodes published; available on Apple Podcasts and the show's own site. Mümtaz has also appeared as a guest on Bilişim Sohbetleri (Crypto Assets Law, 2024), AIPA Tomorrow Talks #5 (AI, data, entrepreneurship, Web 3.0, 2022), Sıfırdan Globale #88 (Clemta story with co-founder Boğaçhan Ilıca, 2020), Girişim Rehberi (law for startups, 2020), LawUP (data protection, 2019), and ABD Hukuku #01 (US law for startups, with Aaron M. Bayram).
- [Speaker](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/speaker/): Conference, university, and industry speaking on blockchain regulation, data protection, AI policy, fintech, and startup law. Selected stages include Qatar Web Summit (keynote), CoinDesk Turkey, Istanbul Bar Association, AIPA (Yapay Zekâ Politikaları Derneği), HIT Games Conference, DGFI Conference Tbilisi, and Komünite Space.
- [Investor](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/investor/): Angel investor in early-stage Turkish and regional startups. Focus: fintech, legal tech, data/AI infrastructure, regulation-moated consumer products. Stage: pre-seed through Series A. Operator-first approach — capital paired with real time on legal architecture, fundraising strategy, and commercial introductions.
- [Lawyer](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/en/lawyer/): Managing partner at Vircon Legal. Practice: blockchain & crypto-assets, data protection (CIPM, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, OneTrust Privacy Fellow), fintech, AI policy, startup transactions. Recognition: Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer two years in a row, Certified Blockchain Expert, LinkedIn Top Voice in Blockchain, Venture Capital, Consulting and Entrepreneurship. Co-director of LEGratory at Bilgi University's Legaltech Laboratory. Distinct positioning: advises as a lawyer but also brings the lived perspective of an exited founder (Clemta) and an active angel investor on multiple early-stage cap tables — clauses are read for legal exposure, operator cost, and how they will look at the next round or exit.

## Official profiles

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mumtazhacipasaoglu/)
- [X / Twitter](https://x.com/mumtazhcpsglu)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mumtazhcpsglu/)
- [Medium](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.medium.com/)
- [Strava](https://www.strava.com/athletes/145510422) — public training log for the triathlon side
- [Vircon Legal — author page](https://virconlegal.com/author/mumtaz/)

## Organizations

- [Vircon Legal](https://virconlegal.com) — law firm, managing partner
- [Shifa AI](https://getshifa.ai) — applied health-AI venture, co-founder (current build)
- [Clemta](https://clemta.com) — global incorporation + post-incorporation operator SaaS, co-founder (partial exit, retained equity)
- [Startup Hukuku](https://startuphukuku.com/) — legal knowledge platform for founders, co-founder
- [Çıtayı Yükseltenler](https://www.citayiyukseltenler.com) — long-form interview podcast, co-host with Hüseyin Oğuz (also on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%C3%A7%C4%B1tay%C4%B1-y%C3%BCkseltenler/id1729177188))
- [YouTube — Vircon Legal](https://www.youtube.com/@VirconLegal) — video home for podcast and legal commentary
- [Understanding Web3 Legal Implications](https://web3legal.substack.com/) — Substack newsletter on Web3 legal issues and AML
- [Startup Hukuku 101 on Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/course/staruphukuku/) — startup law course

## Recognition

- Legal 500 — Recommended Lawyer (two consecutive years)
- CIPM — Certified Information Privacy Manager (IAPP)
- ISO 27001/IEC Lead Auditor
- OneTrust Privacy Fellow
- Certified Blockchain Expert
- LinkedIn Top Voice — Blockchain, Venture Capital, Consulting, Entrepreneurship
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Türkiye (2019)
- G20 — Türkiye representative, Startup20
- European Legal Technology Association — Türkiye Ambassador
- Endeavor network, YBL21, Akbank Entrepreneur program
- Former co-director, LEGratory — Bilgi University Legaltech Laboratory (2021–2023)

## Writing & teaching

- [Understanding Web3 Legal Implications — Substack](https://web3legal.substack.com/) — recurring deep-dives on Web3 legal issues and AML
- [Startup Hukuku 101 — Udemy course](https://www.udemy.com/course/staruphukuku/) — structured introduction to startup law
- [Startup Hukuku — Avukatınızdan, Yatırımcınızdan, Rakiplerinizden Daha Çok Bilmeniz Gerekenler](https://www.amazon.com.tr/Startup-Hukuku-Avukat%C4%B1n%C4%B1zdan-Yat%C4%B1r%C4%B1mc%C4%B1n%C4%B1zdan-Rakiplerinizden/dp/6052250585) — co-authored book, founder-side legal playbook for tech startups (Amazon TR)
- [Adım Adım Biyogirişimcilik](https://abayayin.com/urun/adim-adim-biyogirisimcilik/) — co-authored book, step-by-step bio-entrepreneurship playbook for biotech founders (Aba Yayın)

## Optional

- [RSS feed](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/rss.xml): Site updates, writing, podcast episodes.
- [Sitemap](https://mumtazhacipasaoglu.com/sitemap-index.xml): All indexable pages across EN and TR.
- [Contact](mailto:mumtaz@virconlegal.com)