Turned International Agriculture LLC is a pre-operational startup seeking $20,000,000 to establish a hemp cultivation and processing plant in Antalya, Turkey. The deck outlines a plan to acquire 12,355 acres (5,000 hectares) of land and vegetate up to 200,000,000 plants. However, the proposal is marked by significant risk factors: the company currently employs zero staff, lacks a secured cultivation license, and provides no financial projections or unit economics. The 'Problem' slide is uniquely defined as the company's own need for capital rather than a market pain point. With a single team…
Key takeaways
- The company is seeking a total of $20,000,000 in investor funds to launch its operations (Slide 11).
- The primary use of funds is the purchase of agricultural land and licenses, budgeted at $15,000,000 (Slide 11).
- Operations are planned for Antalya, Turkey, with a target of cultivating 12,355 acres (Slide 5).
- As of the deck's creation, the company has zero employees and states staff will be hired only after business commences (Slide 10).
- The 'Problem' slide explicitly states the problem is that the company is a new startup looking for equity capital (Slide 4).
- The company claims the ability to vegetate up to 200,000,000 plants and grow from seedling to finished product (Slide 5).
- Market data cites a global industrial hemp market size expectation of $10.6 billion by 2025 (Slide 8).
- The sole listed team member, Mr. Oezler (Dino) Yildirim, holds the titles of Treasurer, CFO, CCO, and Secretary (Slide 10).
Turned International Agriculture Pitch Deck Teardown
Slide 1: Title Slide
The deck opens with the company name, Turned International Agriculture LLC, and a green leaf logo. The subtitle defines the scope of the business: 'Cannabis development for medical, recreational growing dispensing product branding and branded lifestyle developments.' This is a broad mission statement covering everything from agriculture to retail and lifestyle branding.
Slide 2: Introduction
This slide focuses on the US hemp market. It claims that American manufacturers are currently buying hemp from Europeans, causing American farmers to miss out on a 'money-making-crop.' It notes that cultivating fiber on U.S. soil would 'trim the price by 75 percent.' It also mentions the 4.5-million member American Farm Bureau's call to legalize industrial hemp farming. Curiously, while this slide builds a case for U.S. production, the company's actual plan (revealed later) is centered in Turkey.
Slide 3: The Big Idea
Titled 'Benefits of Hemp,' this slide lists various applications for the plant, including paper, medicine, clothing, nutrition, cars, and building materials. It also highlights environmental benefits, stating that hemp cultivation 'produces a lot of oxygen and reduces CO2.' It notes that by breeding certain varieties, THC levels are reduced to 'almost zero,' distinguishing industrial hemp from marijuana.
Slide 4: The Problem
In a departure from standard pitch deck logic, the 'Problem' slide does not address a market gap or consumer pain point. Instead, it states: 'This is a new business start-up and the company is looking for equity capital.' It explains that in exchange for funds, investors will receive a stake in the company. From a fundraising perspective, this is a significant error; investors view their capital as a tool to solve a market problem, not as the solution to the founder's lack of cash.
Slide 5: Business Location and Startup
This slide provides the first concrete details of the plan. The company intends to 'penetrate into the hemp cultivation market in Turkey.' Specifically, they are applying for a license to start a 12,355-acre (5,000 ha) cultivation plant near Antalya. The slide claims the company 'will have the ability to vegetate up to 200,000,000 plants.' No evidence is provided to support how a startup will manage a crop of this magnitude.
Slide 6: The Solution
The 'Solution' slide is also unconventional. Rather than describing a product or service, it describes a fundraising method. It states the intent to run an equity crowdfunding campaign on Crowdfunder.com. The slide includes boilerplate text about Crowdfunder's network of 12,000 VCs and angel investors. This suggests the deck may have been intended as a profile page for a crowdfunding platform rather than a direct pitch to institutional investors.
Slide 7: Market Analysis
This slide provides high-level industry statistics. It notes that industrial hemp is cultivated in at least 47 countries, with Canada, China, Chile, France, and North Korea being the largest producers. It cites 2017 acreage record levels in Canada (nearly 140,000 acres) and the EU (about 90,000 acres), estimating global acreage at more than 330,000 acres. The data is several years old relative to the 2025 projections seen later in the deck.
Slide 8: Opportunities & Size
Citing Grand View Research, Inc., this slide states the global industrial hemp market is expected to reach $10.6 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 14.0%. It attributes this growth to rising demand for hempseed oil in food and beverages due to dietary advantages. This slide provides the 'why now' for the sector but does not link these global trends back to the specific Turkish operations of Turned International Agriculture.
Slide 9: SWOT Analysis
The SWOT analysis lists 'Knowledge and experience of stakeholders' as a strength, though only one stakeholder is eventually named. Weaknesses include being a 'small, emerging industry' and a 'lack of stable funding.' Opportunities include regulatory changes and federal cannabis discussions. Threats include foreign competition (EU, China) and consumer confusion between hemp and marijuana. The admission of a 'lack of stable funding' as a weakness reinforces the company's focus on its own financial needs over market opportunities.
Slide 10: Our Team
The team slide features a single individual: Mr. Oezler (Dino) Yildirim. He is listed as Treasurer, CFO, CCO, and Secretary. Most notably, the slide states: 'For now, no staff has been employed, this will be looked into once the business commences.' For a project requiring $20 million and 12,000 acres of land management, the absence of an agronomy team, operations lead, or legal counsel is a glaring omission.
Slide 11: Funds Required
The company is asking for $20,000,000.00 US Dollars. The breakdown is as follows: $15,000,000 for 'Phase 1, buy land and licenses'; $3,000,000 for 'Phase 1, start-up of hemp cultivation plant, peat delving and sale'; and $2,000,000 for 'Effectuation of hemp plant, final stage.' The use of the term 'peat delving' suggests a secondary business in peat extraction, which was not previously mentioned in the deck.
Slide 12: Contact Us
The contact slide provides phone numbers with a +31 country code (Netherlands), a fax number, and an info@turned.eu email address. This indicates that while the operations are planned for Turkey, the administrative or legal presence of the founders is likely based in the Netherlands. The slide includes a photo of a scientist in a lab, which contrasts with the earlier statement that no staff has yet been employed.
Slide 13: Thank You
The final slide repeats the company logo and name with a 'Thank You' message. There is no call to action or summary of the investment opportunity.
What Turned International Agriculture LLC Does Well
The deck identifies a clear geographic focus (Antalya, Turkey) and a specific scale of operation (5,000 hectares). By pinpointing a location, they move away from generic 'hemp is good' arguments and toward a specific real estate and agricultural play. The inclusion of a SWOT analysis (Slide 9) shows an awareness of the regulatory and competitive hurdles facing the industry, even if the internal weaknesses listed are primarily about the company's own lack of capital.
What is Missing from the Turned International Agriculture LLC Deck
The most critical missing element is a qualified team. A $20 million agricultural project cannot be executed by a single person holding four administrative titles. There is no mention of agricultural experts, Turkish regulatory liaisons, or supply chain managers. Furthermore, the deck lacks any form of financial modeling. There is no indication of the expected yield per acre, the cost of production, the target sell price, or the projected revenue. Without these numbers, the $20 million ask is an arbitrary figure for land acquisition rather than a business plan. Finally, the 'Problem' slide (Slide 4) is a fundamental misunderstanding of pitch deck structure; a company's need for money is a condition of its existence, not a 'problem' that an investor pays to solve for the market.
What Other Founders Should Copy
Founders can learn from the clear breakdown of the 'Ask' on Slide 11. While the amounts are high and the categories broad, the use of a simple table to show exactly where the money goes is a standard best practice. Additionally, the use of third-party market research (Grand View Research on Slide 8) is a good way to validate the total addressable market (TAM), though it should always be followed by a slide explaining the company's specific share of that market (SAM/SOM).
Final Analysis
The Turned International Agriculture LLC deck is a 'project pitch' rather than a 'startup pitch.' It is a request for a massive capital infusion to acquire land and licenses for a business that currently has no employees and no operational history. The disconnect between the U.S.-centric introduction (Slide 2) and the Turkish-based plan (Slide 5) creates confusion about the company's actual strategy. For an investor, the combination of a $20 million ask, zero current staff, and no financial projections represents an extremely high level of risk that the deck does not sufficiently mitigate.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the specific business model of Turned International Agriculture?
- The company intends to be a vertically integrated hemp producer in Turkey. According to slide 5, they plan to acquire a cultivation license, purchase 5,000 hectares of land near Antalya, and manage the process from 'seedling to finished product.' Slide 11 further specifies that their initial revenue-generating activities will include 'peat delving and sale' alongside hemp cultivation.
- How does the company justify its $20 million ask?
- The justification is purely based on projected capital expenditures. Slide 11 breaks down the $20,000,000 requirement into three buckets: $15 million for land and licenses, $3 million for the startup of the cultivation plant and peat delving, and $2 million for the 'effectuation' or final stage of the hemp plant. There are no operational budgets or runway calculations provided.
- What is the current status of the company's licenses?
- The company does not currently possess the necessary legal permissions to operate. Slide 5 states that Turned International Agriculture LLC 'is applying for a Cultivation license.' The success of the entire $20 million venture is contingent upon the approval of this license by Turkish authorities.
- Who is leading the company?
- The deck identifies only one individual, Mr. Oezler (Dino) Yildirim. He is credited with four distinct roles: Treasurer, CFO, CCO, and Secretary. Slide 10 explicitly notes that 'no staff has been employed' yet, suggesting the company is currently a one-person entity seeking institutional-level funding to build a team from scratch.
- Does the deck include any financial projections or ROI data?
- No. The deck is entirely devoid of financial forecasting, revenue targets, or unit economics. While it mentions a $20 million cost to start, it does not explain how much hemp will be produced, the expected price per ton, or how long it will take for investors to see a return on their equity.
