Our Founder

Our Founder

    Akif Ekin, an award-winning entrepreneur, industrial designer, and author, has dedicated his life to creating safer and smarter cities. Born in Turkey and raised in Germany, Ekin’s innovative solutions have earned him prestigious accolades such as the Red Dot Design Award, the German Innovation Award, and the CES Innovation Award.

    From a young age, Ekin was fascinated by innovation, which eventually led him to study aerospace engineering at the University of Stuttgart. During his studies, he founded Akart, a lamp design company that showcased his creativity and passion for design. As an author, he co-wrote two pioneering books on market entry and HR marketing in Turkey, published by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

    Akif Ekin (born in February 8, 1967) is an Aerospace and Aircraft engineer (M.Sc.) and a businessman in information technologies sector. Ekin is currently the President of Ekin – Smart City Solutions, a company founded in 1998 that provides red light enforcement, speed detection, license plate recognition, smart intersection management, parking management, central management software and mobile enforcement solutions to law enforcement, governments, local authorities and private sector around the world.

Ekin is also a member of  iCERT – Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies, Inc..

    Ekin having completed his elementary-secondary-high school educations in Germany, graduated as a Certificated Engineer from Stuttgart Technical University, earning a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the Department of Aerospace and Aircraft Engineering.

    Ekin’s journey took him to Istanbul, where he began distributing Sanyo products across the EMEA region. In 1998, he founded Ekin Electronics, later rebranded as Ekin Smart City Solutions. His company started by developing safety technologies for high-profile events like the NATO Summit 2004 and FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. Ekin’s groundbreaking invention, the world’s first smart patrol with facial recognition, revolutionized mobile enforcement and city safety.

    He worked as a research assistant for two years at the Space Research Laboratory of Stuttgart Technical University. He participated in the research of relevant materials resistant to high temperatures for the Hermes Spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). In 1988, during his education, he accomplished his internship in aircraft manufacturing at Zenair in Canada.

    Driven by a desire to reduce traffic accidents and save lives, Ekin believes that smart city technologies will play a vital role in ensuring security for citizens worldwide. As a member of ICERT, he contributes to the advancement of global safe city technologies and public safety. Today, Ekin’s innovative solutions can be found in cities, airports, shopping centers, campuses, and arenas across the globe.

    Discover the transformative smart city solutions that have earned Akif Ekin international acclaim. Visit our products page or reach out to us directly to explore collaboration opportunities. Let’s work together to make our cities safer and smarter for everyone.

    Ekin lived in the USA and Canada for several years, and in 1990 he became focused on technical designs, founding Akart Lamp in Germany. In 1992, at Iltis Consulting, he gave lectures in various regions of Germany about technical and marketing training to about 2000 senior executive participants from the automotive sector. Between 1993-1995, he worked as General Director in Pyramid Security Systems.

    During his time in Germany, he leaded publication of the first Turkish article in Frankfurter Allgemeine (FAZ) founded in 1949. Furthermore, he is the author of Nachbar Türkei (1997) and Erfolg in der Türkei (1998), which are articles about Turkey published in German.

After his role at Pyramid Security Systems, in 1998 Akif Ekin founded
Ekin Smart City Solutions.