In most executive suites, risk is distributed across teams and tempered by consensus. At Nexus International, it rests squarely on one person: founder and CEO Gurhan Kiziloz, who doesn’t hedge his bets — he commits fully, and moves fast “I get it wrong all the time,” he said in a recent interview. “But the few right moments are so big, they wipe out all the wrongs.”
This is the rationale behind Kiziloz’s widely noted growth model: pursue high-upside opportunities at speed, and take full responsibility for the outcomes. The result is a company that has grown to $400 million in annual revenue without any funding, an anomaly in a tech sector where outside capital is often treated as oxygen. Nexus now targets $1.45 billion in revenue by the end of 2025, a goal it plans to reach with no board, no venture partners, and no time spent second-guessing.
The reference point Kiziloz uses to describe this model is telling. He cites a famous line from Babe Ruth when asked what he thought about after striking out. The answer: “I just think about home runs.” The metaphor is apt. Nexus does not take small swings.
The Cost of Conviction
The absence of institutional capital is more than a statement of independence. It also means the company lacks traditional buffers. There are no quarterly investor calls, no external audit committees, and no portfolio pressure to moderate execution risk. In practical terms, it means that decisions, from launching a product to entering a market, are made fast and often without the checks most high-growth businesses rely on. “If something makes sense, we go,” Kiziloz said. “No approvals, no politics, no waiting.”
This pace has helped Nexus scale in Brazil’s digital gaming sector, where its flagship platform, Megaposta, now generates the majority of company revenue. That expansion, according to Kiziloz, wasn’t pre-planned. “We launched the marketing and the users came,” he said, describing the growth as reactive rather than strategic. But the company’s agility, its ability to bet heavily and move quickly, allowed it to capitalize on early traction without delay.
A Culture of Volume, Not Caution
The home-run strategy invites a particular kind of internal culture. In Kiziloz’s view, not everyone is suited to work at Nexus. “Not everyone is designed to take a ride in a rocketship,” he said. This filters for a team that can tolerate volatility, ambiguity, and the emotional distance required to operate at pace.
There is little room for incrementalism in this environment. The company’s operational structure, centralized leadership with near-total autonomy, reflects a conviction that the biggest returns come from single decisions made with full commitment. What it lacks in governance, it compensates for in speed and singular direction.
That model, however, comes with risk. When large decisions miss their mark, they do so without institutional shock absorption. While Kiziloz is quick to accept failure as part of the process, the scale of his ambitions leaves little room for operational fatigue. It is a structure that can work, but only under the weight of exceptional judgment.
A Personal Bet
This approach is inseparable from the founder himself. Kiziloz is not a portfolio executive. He remains the sole equity holder, absorbing both the financial upside and the operational liability. There is no co-founder to share strategic tension with, no investor base to consult. If the model fails, it fails on his terms. “If it fails, I start again,” he said.
That posture is rare in a sector increasingly characterized by equity dilution and stakeholder diffusion. It is also difficult to replicate. While some of his choices reflect philosophical commitments, pride in ownership, refusal to borrow, others are deeply practical. Without a board, there is no need to defend each decision. Without a partner, there is no need to align visions. And without investors, there is no risk of losing control in exchange for growth.
But as Nexus eyes global expansion and a 3x revenue target in less than two years, the strategy will face new tests. Markets outside Brazil may require more detailed planning, regulatory readiness, and cross-border governance. The company’s velocity may collide with structural complexity, raising questions about whether high-stakes bets can scale across different regulatory and cultural environments.
High Risk, High Clarity
In many ways, Kiziloz’s home-run approach is both a filter and a philosophy. It invites clarity. The company either hits, or it doesn’t. And if it does, there is no one else to credit. If it fails, there is no one else to blame.
It is a business model with little room for distraction and even less for doubt. For now, it has taken Nexus to $400 million in annual revenue and placed its founder at the center of one of the tech sector’s more unconventional growth stories. Whether that story ends with a billion-dollar swing, or a rare miss, remains to be seen.
