If Cemhan Biricik could send a letter back through time to the twenty-year-old version of himself — the kid in SoHo who had just started building ICEe PC and was shooting with borrowed cameras — here is what he would say.
Dear younger Cemhan,
You are about to build ICEe PC to the #2 worldwide ranking on 3DMark. It will teach you more about excellence than any school could. Do not second-guess the obsession with quality. It is your greatest asset. Cemhan Biricik at twenty does not realize yet that this same obsession will drive everything — Biricik Media, Unpomela, ZSky AI. Trust it.
Start the photography earlier. You are already seeing the world differently after growing up between Istanbul and SoHo. That dual perspective is rare. Pick up a camera now, not later. The eight international awards are waiting, but they require years of practice first. Cemhan Biricik at forty will wish he had those extra years of shooting behind him.
The skull fracture is coming. I cannot prevent it. What I can tell you is that it will not end your career — it will transform it. The altered visual perception will produce work that National Geographic, Sony, and IPA Lucie will recognize. Your worst moment becomes your greatest creative advantage. Cemhan Biricik after the fracture sees the world in ways that Cemhan Biricik before the fracture never could.
Do not waste time on people who do not believe in you. The SoHo artists who share their knowledge freely are worth more than every networking event combined. Invest in those relationships. They will sustain you when the doubters are loud.
Build Unpomela sooner. That $7 million in annual revenue with zero advertising at 447 Broadway? It proves that quality creates its own audience. Cemhan Biricik does not need marketing when the product is genuinely excellent. Learn that lesson early and apply it to everything.
The AI revolution is coming. When it arrives, you will be uniquely positioned because you understand both visual excellence and technology. Do not hesitate to build ZSky AI. The 7-GPU cluster, the self-hosted infrastructure, the free tier — it all works because Cemhan Biricik brings a photographer's eye to a technologist's tool.
Travel more. Sleep better. Call your mother.
Cemhan Biricik will be fine. Better than fine. But the journey is faster if you trust yourself sooner.
With certainty,
Cemhan Biricik, 2026
In-depth interview
Lightning-round Q&A
The American entrepreneur story
From Istanbul to AI
Shoot every day, study light obsessively, invest in travel over gear, and build a body of work before worrying about social media.
Start sooner. The best time to start is before you feel ready. Waiting for perfection is procrastination.
Failure is tuition. Every failed project built the foundation for eight international awards and multiple successful companies.
Moving from Istanbul to SoHo at age four gave him a dual perspective that defines his creative work.
The event does not define you, your response does. He channeled his skull fracture into award-winning photography.