Under Pressure and On the Clock: Gurhan Kiziloz’s Nexus International to Hit $1.45B Revenue in 2025

Nexus International has developed a reputation for speed and self-reliance that distinguishes it from many competitors in the gaming sector. Gurhan Kiziloz, the founder, has led the company to more than $400 million in revenue in 2024 with even better projections for 2025. Unlike peers who have relied on outside funding to accelerate growth or mitigate risk, Nexus has financed all of its operations without any external funding.

This approach is not without consequence. Decisions at Nexus are made rapidly, often moving from idea to implementation in days or even hours. Without the need to seek investor approval or satisfy a board, operational pivots can happen at short notice. “If something makes sense, we go,” Kiziloz says. The result is an organisational culture in which initiatives that do not meet expectations are quickly reworked or abandoned. Setbacks are absorbed internally, with their financial impact felt immediately across the company.

Such agility allows Nexus to adapt to market developments faster than many larger, capital-backed firms. Yet, the absence of external capital also removes a common buffer for error. Accountability is immediate and concentrated within the management team. Kiziloz puts it plainly: “If something doesn’t work, you feel it immediately. That’s the price you pay for running on your own money.” The expectation is that failures are addressed directly, with little emphasis on extended reviews or analysis.

 

 

This model places considerable pressure on management and staff. With a revenue target of $1.45 billion set for 2025, resource allocation is closely tied to performance, and departments are expected to demonstrate how each project supports that objective. Underperforming ventures may be cut or adjusted with minimal delay. For employees, Nexus’s fast pace and successes find a direct link to excitement. As Kiziloz observes, “Not everyone is designed to take a ride in a rocketship.”

The company’s bias toward speed shapes more than daily operations. Internal reviews are frequent, and results are tracked with an eye on how quickly lessons can be applied. Strategic setbacks, while part of the process, tend to be managed through ongoing adjustment rather than prolonged retrospection. The organisation’s ability to pivot is viewed as a requirement of its model rather than an occasional tactic.

However, the benefits of this model bring their own challenges. Without outside capital, Nexus is more exposed to market volatility, regulatory shifts, or unexpected downturns. The reliance on quick recovery and course correction has worked at the current scale, but the stakes will likely increase as the company pursues larger goals. Whether rapid execution and internal accountability alone are enough to sustain growth as the company targets $1.45 billion in revenue remains to be seen.

For now, Nexus International’s self-financing model gives it freedom to be agile and change course when needed. But with this freedom comes a lot of responsibility. As Nexus moves toward its ambitious target, the durability of this approach will be tested by the same pressures that have shaped its success to date.