# Ege Kaan Duman

> Ege Kaan Duman is a Turkish entrepreneur, writer, and Rhodes Scholar based in San Francisco. A Duke Kunshan, Duke, and Oxford alumnus, he co-founded Simplifine with Oxford friends before the company evolved into Orca, a Minecraft game platform. His public interests include poetry, music, cooking, flowers, and cats.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CPO at Orca Client
- **Organizations:** Orca Client, Simplifine, Y Combinator, Rhodes Trust, University of Oxford, Duke Kunshan University, Duke University, McKinsey & Company
- **Nationality:** Turkish
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science, Duke Kunshan University, Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Studies, Duke University, Master of Science, University of Oxford, Master of Science, University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Duke Kunshan University’s first Rhodes Scholar., First Rhodes Scholar elected from Turkey through the Global Rhodes constituency., Member of Duke Kunshan’s inaugural undergraduate graduating class, 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2018** — Joined Duke Kunshan University’s inaugural undergraduate cohort.
- **2021** — Announced as Duke Kunshan’s first Rhodes Scholar, and the first from Turkey elected through the Global constituency.
- **2022** — Graduated from Duke Kunshan; entered Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Worked as a business analyst at McKinsey in Istanbul during June-September.
- **2024** — Co-founded Simplifine with Ali Kavoosi and Raveen Kariyawasam; company joined Y Combinator Summer 2024.
- **2025** — Publicly described building research collaboration features with Ali Kavoosi.
- **2026** — Orca’s current YC listing describes a Minecraft game launcher and lists Duman as Founder/CPO. Published a poem as Ege Duman in Roots & Words.

## Achievements

- Duke Kunshan University’s first Rhodes Scholar.
- First Rhodes Scholar elected from Turkey through the Global Rhodes constituency.
- Member of Duke Kunshan’s inaugural undergraduate graduating class, 2022.
- Co-founded a company in Y Combinator’s Summer 2024 batch.
- Poetry published by Roots & Words in February 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Roots & Words published a poem credited to Ege Duman on February 23.
- **2026-10** — Research snapshot: YC lists Orca Client as an active Summer 2024 company, with Duman as Founder/CPO. This is the verification month, not a role-change date.

## Links

- Website: https://egekaanduman.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ege-kaan-duman-445731173
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/egekduman

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/ege-kaan-duman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14