Builder · Baku

Valeh Ismayilov

Obsessed with problemsworth solving.

About

I've been building since 2021: products, communities and companies. Seeder is the latest.

Half of this site is work: what I've built and what I'm working on now. The other half is off hours. Books, films, a lot of rock, specialty coffee, and art.

01 · Work

What I've built, and what I'm building now

First projects2021 to 2023
OpenConnect2024
Crable2024 to 2025
Glorri2024 to 2025
ADA Future Hub2025
Arter2025
Seeder2026 to now

See the work

02 · Life

Books, films, music & coffee

Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew

Off hours

Initiatives

Things you can join

Startup Grind Baku
Open
Volunteering · Founding Head of Ops
The Baku chapter of Startup Grind, a global community for founders. Volunteers help run events and bring founders and investors into one room.
Get involved
ADA Future Hub
Open
Student program · Founder
Programs at ADA University for students who want to build something of their own, including LostLink, FutureTalks and Matcher.
Get involved

Newsletter

The Monday Brief

A weekly read on startups and venture capital across the Caucasus, Central Asia and the GCC.

Writing

Latest

All writing

Joseph Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery, c. 1766. People gather by lamplight around a working model of the solar system.

11 Nov 2026 · Work

Track people, not deals

In mature ecosystems, investors don't track deals. They track people and companies, long before there is anything to sign.

Rembrandt, The Money Changer, 1627. A man studies a coin by candlelight, surrounded by ledgers and money bags.

10 Nov 2026 · Work

What venture money is for now

Building a startup costs much less than it used to. That changes what early money is for, and how investors should look for companies.