Gurhan Kiziloz’s $1.7 Billion Empire: How He Built It Without Taking a Single Investor’s Penny

In the sleek offices of Nexus International, Turkish-British entrepreneur Gurhan Kiziloz sits back in his chair with the quiet confidence of a man who has built a $1.7 Billion fortune entirely on his own terms. No venture capitalists. No board meetings. No outside investors telling him what to do.

“I could have raised hundreds of millions,” Gurhan Kiziloz tells me, his tone matter-of-fact. “Every investor wanted a piece of what we were building. But I looked at what happens when you take their money – you lose control, you answer to people who don’t understand your business, and suddenly you’re working for them instead of yourself.”

It’s a decision that has paid off spectacularly. His gaming company, Nexus International, posted $1.2 Billion in revenue last year, operating platforms including Megaposta and Spartans.com across regulated markets from Brazil to beyond. The company processes millions of transactions monthly, all built without a single penny of outside investment.

The $200 Million Bet

But Gurhan Kiziloz isn’t resting on his laurels. He’s now committed $200 Million of his own money to Spartans.com, positioning the online casino platform to take on industry giants bet365 and Stake in a market projected to reach $38 Billion by 2030.

“When I put my own money on the line, I make better decisions,” he explains. “Venture-backed companies can afford to waste money on vanity metrics and stupid marketing campaigns because it’s not really theirs. Every pound I spend comes from profits I’ve already earned. That makes you sharp.”

The numbers back him up. Whilst competitors burn through investor cash chasing user growth, Nexus International has maintained profitability throughout its expansion. The company’s decision-making speed is legendary in the industry – strategic pivots that take venture-backed rivals months to approve happen in minutes at Nexus International.

From Gaming to Blockchain

Now Gurhan Kiziloz is taking his self-funded model into an even more ambitious venture: blockchain infrastructure. He’s founded BlockDAG, a cryptocurrency network designed to compete with Ethereum and Solana, and he’s doing it the same way he built Nexus International – with his own capital.

“The crypto space is full of projects that raised hundreds of millions through token sales, then spent it all on conferences and marketing before building anything that works,” he says, his frustration evident. “We’re building the actual technology first. When it’s ready, it’ll speak for itself.”

Market makers are already projecting that BlockDAG could reach the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation, a position that would value the network in the billions.

‘I Was Too Proud to Borrow’

When I ask about his refusal to take outside investment, Gurhan Kiziloz’s answer is surprisingly personal. “I’m too proud to borrow money,” he admits with a slight smile. “If I can build it myself, I will. That’s just how I’m wired.”

That pride has translated into complete ownership of everything he’s built. Whilst other gaming executives own 20-30% of their companies after multiple funding rounds, Gurhan Kiziloz owns 100% of Nexus International. Every pound of profit flows directly to him, funding both his lifestyle and his next ventures.

The approach isn’t without risks. Self-funded growth is slower, and competitors with deep-pocketed investors can outspend you on marketing. But Gurhan Kiziloz argues the trade-off is worth it. “I’d rather own all of a smaller business than a slice of a bigger one,” he says. “And as it turns out, we’re not smaller anymore.”

The Brazil Masterstroke

His biggest success has been Megaposta’s expansion into Brazil, where Nexus International secured gaming licences ahead of international competitors who were still holding committee meetings about market entry. The platform now dominates in a country where gaming regulation has eliminated unlicensed operators and created a gold rush for compliant platforms.

“Whilst they were asking their boards for approval, I was already operating,” Gurhan Kiziloz recalls. “By the time they got licensed, we had the best payment integrations, the best local partnerships, and thousands of users. That’s the advantage of moving fast.”

The Brazilian success accounted for a substantial portion of Nexus International’s revenue growth from $400 Million in 2024 to $1.2 Billion in 2025 – a tripling that Gurhan Kiziloz attributes directly to his ability to make rapid decisions without investor oversight.

What’s Next

As our conversation winds down, I ask Gurhan Kiziloz about his plans for the future. His answer is characteristically ambitious: he wants to build billion-dollar businesses in both gaming and cryptocurrency, maintaining complete ownership of both.

“Most entrepreneurs would be happy with what I’ve built in gaming,” he acknowledges. “But I’m not most entrepreneurs. I see the opportunity in blockchain, I have the capital to pursue it properly, and I’m not going to let anyone tell me it can’t be done without their money.”

When I point out that building two billion-dollar companies simultaneously seems impossibly ambitious, Gurhan Kiziloz just shrugs. “People said the same thing about building Nexus International without investors. How did that work out?”

It’s hard to argue with the results. As I leave his office, I’m struck by the realisation that in an age where venture capital seems essential for tech success, Gurhan Kiziloz has proven there’s still room for the self-made billionaire who answers to nobody but himself.

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