Selen Ucak Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

The Refugee Investment Network (RIN) is the first impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions to global forced migration. • Lead a global community of refugee-owned and refugee-supporting businesses and social enterprises to receive business development and investment readiness support. • Provide technical assistance, thought leadership, and strategic communications and partnerships support. • Advise a corporate impact initiative serving marginalized small business owners. • Develop new UK program with CEO: conduct and write market assessment of refugee lens investing (RLI) in the UK and advise impact investors on RLI strategies.

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

• "Climate Justice for Migrants & Communities of Color," an investment readiness program that will support startups building inclusive solutions for immigrants, refugees, and communities of color disproportionately impacted by climate change in the US. • "Financial Solutions for Migrants," an accelerator for impact-driven startups developing bold solutions that have the potential to increase the financial inclusion of migrants, including refugees, and especially targeting women. • "Sustainability MENA 2021," an investment-readiness program for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Turkey-based early-stage startups that are tackling the region’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

Sheffield, Ma, Us

IE magazine amplifies and empowers the global movement of impact entrepreneurs and their supporters, focusing on the innovations and practices that build an impact economy and contribute to transformative, systemic change.•. Selected to join a cohort of expert practitioners to write research articles, profiles, and opinion pieces on impact economy topics. • Focused on forced displacement, SDGs, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and MENA.

Geneva, Ch

Developing a strategy paper and consultation process to serve as guideline on the effective private sector engagement in durable solutions in Iraq.

Cologny, Geneva, Ch

The Humanitarian Resilience Investing (HRI) Initiative of the World Economic Forum catalyzes the flow of private capital into financially sustainable opportunities that benefit communities in humanitarian and fragile contexts. HRI's "Humanitarian Impact and Resilience Challenge" is a global call for commercially viable, impact-driven and ready-to-scale innovative solutions that support the communities who are at risk of a humanitarian crisis, or those that have suffered from one.

Brooklyn, New York, Us

Building Markets is an award-winning non-profit organization that creates jobs and encourages economic growth by finding, building and connecting competitive local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to supply chains, investment, and growth opportunities.• Provide strategy development and program and financial oversight to projects supporting over 2,000 refugee and host-community entrepreneurs in Turkey and Jordan through linkages with supply chains and investment • Develop and manage partnerships with local and international institutions and corporations • Lead donor relations, compliance, and program and financial reporting for grants totaling over $10mm• Develop fundraising strategy for the region, including identifying leads and developing proposals and budgets • Provide thought leadership and conduct research in strategic topics; represent Building Markets at external meetings; and drive communications efforts • Provide ideas, strategic input, and regional expertise to global, organization-wide initiatives • Supervise and provide professional development support to country directors and other team members

Brooklyn, New York, Us

• Advisor on strategy, partnerships, and market assessments for new programs in Turkey and Jordan to support local and refugee/migrant-owned small businesses • Lead Author/Researcher of the highly cited report "Another Side to the Story: A Market Assessment of Syrian SMEs in Turkey," including survey development and implementation, stakeholder interviews, desk research, writing, and communications

Amsterdam, North Holland, Nl

Technical support to country assessment for SME development, youth entrepreneurship, and employment activities for Syrian refugees in Turkey.

New York, Ny, Us

Founded in 1949, The American Turkish Society is America’s oldest, premier not-for-profit organization seeking to enhance economic, diplomatic, cultural and educational ties between Turkey and the United States. - Exceeded annual fundraising targets; expanded sponsor, donor, and membership base; significantly grew assets and annual budget- Executed a high-profile annual gala dinner with prominent U.S. and Turkish companies and philanthropists, including honoree selection and relations, event management, marketing and communications - Managed all major donor and other relations, including Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, government officials; led cultivation and stewardship of donors and partners- Led business development efforts; expanded individual/corporate membership and sponsorship programs- Developed and executed strategy, including programs, partnerships, marketing and communications/PR, including establishing social media presence- Initiated and executed rebranding of the organization upon hire - Conceptualized, funded and executed programs and events in business, policy, education and arts & culture- Executed “merger” of grassroots arts & culture organization as a new program of The Society- Convened and managed a dynamic community of prominent young leaders from both countries- Steered governance projects with Board of Directors, including revised by-laws, committees, and board member recruitment- Managed operations (budgeting/financial performance, audit, human resources, data/IT, customer service) along with team - Recruited, trained, mentored and motivated staff members, interns, volunteers, consultants and advisors

New York, New York, Us

TPF's mission is to help donors realize their philanthropic goals to meet community needs in the United States and in Turkey.- Conducted the feasibility study for the new Turkish-American diaspora philanthropy organization. - Determined need, viability and support among key stakeholders. - Identified and cultivated potential donors, including board members. - Developed the initial model and the business plan; formulated the requirements for the start-up process.

- Co-authored with Professor Catherine H. Clark a seminal report that offers a snapshot of social ventures in seven industry segments as well as insights into the experiences, attitudes, and practices of the people who create and manage them, in partnership with Investors’ Circle and the Social Venture Network. - Analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from over 200 entrepreneurs/CEOs of for-profit social ventures. - Team member at the Research Initiative on Social Entrepreneurship (RISE), formerly a research project at Columbia Business School, with a mission to study and disseminate knowledge about the markets, metrics and management of for-profit and nonprofit social enterprise and social venturing.

Private foundation that supports nonprofit organizations working to break the cycle of poverty in NYC.- Managed existing grant portfolio and recommended new investments in education, job training, early childhood, family support, and youth development. - Conducted rigorous due diligence, including reviewing proposals, conducting site visits, analyzing financial and social outcomes, and assessing organizational capacity, working with grantees, trustees, and funders.- Provided research on funding areas (e.g. public policy issues) and managed special projects (e.g. technical assistance to grantees, impact measurement methods, and social venture portfolio).

New York, Ny, Us

Nonprofit venture catalyst organization pioneering a new model of economic development by promoting entrepreneurship in emerging markets.- Developed and assessed self-sustainable product/program ideas.- Designed and implemented donor satisfaction/market research survey. - Supported preliminary research and feasibility analysis of expansion into Turkey.

Boutique research and consulting firm with a unique profits-based macroeconomic forecasting framework. - Advised on strategy and product development for repositioning as a for-profit consulting venture from a nonprofit research organization.- Managed activities of senior economists and research fellows; recruited, selected and trained fellows and interns.- Designed and implemented production schedules for publications and data-sharing systems; implemented IT strategy.- Analyzed several areas of the economy with a team of Ph.D. economists and wrote monthly articles.

Mba, Social Enterprise, Entrepreneurship

Ba, Summa Cum Laude, Economics, International Affairs, German