Haris Yalcinkaya

Haris Yalcinkaya

Computer Scientist (M.Sc.) specializing in AI Research and Development. Founder for 4 years, consultant for AI Strategy and Transformation, based in Dortmund.

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Ziya GmbH

As Managing Director of Ziya, I help companies with AI transformation. Our focus: data analysis, AI implementation, and business process automation.

Our team was supported by the NRW Startup Grant. From there, we founded Ziya — one of the first startups accepted into the EXIST AI Innovation Program by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.

What I Offer

AI Consulting

Strategic consulting for integrating AI into existing business processes. From ideation to implementation.

AI Development

Custom AI solutions: Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Deep Learning & Data Pipelines.

Workshops & Talks

Speaker and workshop facilitator on topics like Custom GPTs, Prompt Engineering, and AI Transformation in enterprises.

Expertise

Domains

Artificial IntelligenceMachine LearningDeep LearningComputer VisionData ScienceData EngineeringExtended RealityInverse Rendering

Technologies

PythonPyTorchCC++GoTypeScriptReactNumPyCUDAOpenCVDockerLinuxGit

About Me

I studied computer science at TU Dortmund and graduated with distinction (1.0). In my master's thesis, I combined rendering and deep learning to reconstruct physically accurate scenes from images.

Since then, I've been focused on how AI can create real value in practice — from research to consulting to product development. Along the way, I've had the chance to work with a wide range of companies and lead international projects.

AI is fundamentally changing the way we work. That's what drives me. I want to help companies adopt this technology in a meaningful way — not as hype, but as a genuine core competency.

Resume

Managing Director at Ziya GmbH2024 – present

Ziya GmbH·Dortmund, Germany

  • Leading a software startup
  • Research and development with AI agents
  • AI strategy and transformation for enterprises
  • Business strategy & corporate management

Community Member at 2hearts2024 – present

2hearts·Germany

  • Network for tech professionals with migration background
  • Strengthening diversity in Europe's tech industry

Co-Founder at DatenLabel2022 – present

DatenLabel·Germany

  • SaaS for AI data projects
  • Labeling editor & plugin architecture
  • Enterprise & on-prem deployment
  • Funded by:
    • NRW Startup Grant (MWIKE)
    • EXIST Startup Grant (BMWK)
    • EXIST Startup Grant Phase II (BMWK, to Ziya GmbH)

Software Consultant in Ankara, Türkiye2021 – 2022

External Consultant·Ankara, Türkiye

  • AI research and development
  • AI data pipelines: from raw data to deployed module
  • C++ core development, team of 5+ engineers
  • GPU optimization of mission-critical components
  • Talks on Deep Learning & Computer Vision

Research Assistant at TU Dortmund2017 – 2018

TU Dortmund·Dortmund, Germany

  • Chair of Computer Graphics
  • Research assistance in Human-Computer Interaction
  • Teaching: OpenGL, GLSL, Android development
  • Theory: 3D graphics, linear algebra, Fourier

M.Sc. Computer Science with Distinction at TU Dortmund2016 – 2020

TU Dortmund·Dortmund, Germany

  • Final grade 1.0
  • Focus on algorithms, computer graphics & AI
  • Thesis: Rendering-assisted Deep Learning for physically consistent scene reconstruction

B.Sc. Computer Science at TU Dortmund2013 – 2016

TU Dortmund·Dortmund, Germany

  • Focus on GPGPU & Rendering
  • Thesis: GPU-assisted generation of realistic cloud formations

Research

DatenLabel / Ziya GmbH2022 – present

LLMs, Agent Systems & AI Strategy

Dortmund, Germany

Research on Large Language Models, agent systems, and multi-agent systems. Additionally, intensive work on AI strategy and AI transformation — how companies can leverage artificial intelligence efficiently, effectively, and successfully.

External Consultant2021 – 2022

Domain-specific CNNs, Edge AI & GPGPU

Ankara, Türkiye

Focus on production-ready AI: domain-specific CNNs for real-world use cases with high reliability and performance. Edge AI and GPGPU optimization for resource-constrained environments. Not just theoretical research, but real-world AI delivering genuine value in production.

TU Dortmund2019 – 2020

Inverse Rendering & Differentiable Rendering

Dortmund, Germany

Research in computer graphics and deep learning focusing on inverse rendering and differentiable rendering functions. Physically-based illumination models were combined with neural networks to reconstruct scenes from images. Intensive work with GPGPU programming to accelerate rendering pipelines.

Projects

AI Enterprise Agent Platform for Businesses2025

DatenLabel · Dortmund

Next.jsViteReactTypeScriptNode.jsPythonFastAPIDocker

DatenLabel IdeaHub — AI Governance, Compliance & Use Case Management Platform2025

DatenLabel · Dortmund

TypeScriptReactNode.jsDocker

DatenLabel — Platform for AI Data Projects from Raw Data to Finished Model2022

DatenLabel · Dortmund

TypeScriptReactNode.jsPythonFlaskDockerGitLab CI/CD

SVBRDF-Approximation of Planar Materials using Deep Learning2020

TU Dortmund · Dortmund

PyTorchPythonLinux

Android-App for Tracking and Establishing Habits (Kotlin)2019

Personal · Dortmund

KotlinAndroid

Faster Than Life — Game developed at Global Game Jam 20192019

Global Game Jam 2019 · Dortmund

C#UnityWindows

Real-Time Scratched Material Renderer2018

TU Dortmund · Dortmund

C++OpenGLGLSLCMakeLinux

BRDF-Generator for Analytically Defined Scratch Profiles2018

TU Dortmund · Dortmund

C++CUDACMakeLinux

Android-App for Tracking and Establishing Habits (Java)2018

Personal · Dortmund

JavaAndroid

Agent V — Game developed at Global Game Jam 20182018

Global Game Jam 2018 · Dortmund

C#Cg ShaderUnityWindows

PG 608: Extraction and Translation of Semantic Information Between Videos2017 – 2018

TU Dortmund · Dortmund

C++OpenGLQtOpenCVdlibCMakeWindowsLinuxmacOS

Real-Time Rendering Engine, Real-Time Shadows, Deferred Shading2017

Personal · Dortmund

C++GLSLOpenGLLinux

Real-Time Simulation and Volumetric Rendering of Realistic Clouds2016

TU Dortmund · Dortmund

C++QtOpenCLOpenGLGLSLWindows

Blog

All posts→
March 30, 2026

Hello World

My journey from TU Dortmund through Ankara to founding Ziya — and why I'm starting this blog.