Experts and Partners

Management

  • FinTech Consultant

    S. Elif Kocaoglu Ulbrich, LL.M., MLB

    Founder, Principal

    Native Marketing ad Tech Strategy Consultant & Coach | Author

    Experience

    16+ years of experience in a variety of areas (business development, project management, strategic management, legal and regulatory topics), and roles (Head of Business Development, Senior Legal Counsel) at companies like Lendico, Cringle, FinLeap, and Denizbank. Background in both Law (qualified lawyer) and Business.

    Certified AML and Design Thinking expert.

    Columnist (Fintech Istanbul, Fortune, PSM)

    LinkedIn Top Voice, LinkedIn Creator Program Alum.

    Languages Skills: English, Turkish, German

    Education

    • WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management & Bucerius Law School - Master of Law and Business, MLB (Class of 2014)

    o Joachim Herz Stiftung Scholar Grantee

    o Jean Monnet Scholar

    o Thesis: Tools for Protecting the Daughter Company, Shareholders and Creditors in the Group of Companies from German, Turkish and European Law Perspectives (Advisor: Prof dr Dr H.c. Mult. Karsten Schmidt)

    • Galatasaray University Faculty of Law - Master of Private Law, LL.M. (Class of 2013)

    o Author of the first graduate thesis focusing on financial technology from a legal and regulatory point of view

    o Thesis: Fintech from European Union and Turkish Banking Law Perspectives

    LinkedIn | Twitter |

  • Banking Product & Project Consultant

    Simon Ulbrich, M.Sc.

    Lead Consultant

    Banking Product and Project Consultant | FinTech, Banking, Mobile Payments

    Experience

    Skilled project lead and product manager, experienced in multi-dimensional projects including BigTechs, start-up & bank cooperations and IT integration projects at Deutsche Kredit Bank AG and biw Bank für Investments & Wertpapiere.

    Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I).

    Decade long work experience with an academic background in banking and business.

    Languages Skills: German, English

    Education

    • University of Salford, GB- Master of Science in International Business & Finance (Class of 2012)

    o Graduated with distinction

    o Thesis: An Analysis of the Future of the Financial Service Industry in the Post Crisis Era: A Shift Towards Value Creation (Advisor: Michael Colburn)

    • Wedel University of Applied Sciences, DE- Bachelor of Science in Business Studies (Class of 2011)

    LinkedIn |

Contact us to discuss next steps.

Our Team of Experts and Partners

External Counsel

Do you want to become a FinTech startup founder? Then read this.

 

90% of all FinTech start-ups fail within the first year. Therefore, before leaping, you should see if you are ready to commit to coming onboard. Are you prepared for instability, risk, and adrenalin? Are you looking forward to burning the midnight oil? Are you fueled by unexpected challenges or rather lose heart?

 

It takes approximately three years to take the FinTech startup from the ground up. Then, of course, there will be continuous learning, but real expertise and success come in time.

 

Once you have decided to answer your life’s calling, you should think about what you want to achieve. Do you want to build a sustainable FinTech product or service or “play FinTech” while figuring out things on the way and burning lots of cash and time? If the latter, you should stop reading at this point as you won’t have a minute for yourself from this moment onwards. If the first, you could use working with a FinTech expert, who will be able to answer your burning questions and shortcut the steps required for the creation process.

Why should you hire a FinTech expert instead of doing it all yourself?

 

Entrepreneurship is a journey, and FinTech entrepreneurship is no exception. It is a path best enjoyed at every step. However, whether this is a full-time project or a side hustle, FinTech entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship is an arduous journey with many milestones to accomplish. Whether you are a serial entrepreneur, consultant, investor, or former banker with a track record, you will need guidance and support throughout the process. Stakes are high, and the odds are stacked against the entrepreneurs, new ideas, and projects due to the regulations, close supervision, and increased competition.

Ideas are plenty; it is the execution that is challenging. An idea that sounds great in theory might be hard to achieve in practice due to uncalculated market developments, emerging competition, existing or upcoming regulations, or simple miscalculations. It could also be hardER to achieve, resulting in time and money not well spent and decreased team motivation. Furthermore, while trying to cover left and right, you might lose sight of what is essential: the focus. As an alternative, working with FinTech, banking and payment experts who know the industry, understand market dynamics, and consumers have a vast network can give you the upper hand.  

Whether you want to validate your idea, FinTech business model, or see if there is a product market fit or user need, FinTech experts can give you a hand and lighten the extreme burden entrepreneurs carry around. 

As the finance sector is heavily regulated, it can be challenging to understand the existing or upcoming regulations or see how your organization can comply without sacrificing user experience. A FinTech expert with regulatory and legal know-how will not only interpret the current rules for you but can also make these regulations work for you.

FinTech experts can additionally identify opportunities existing and new potential markets can offer and help your organization differentiate its value proposition, offer, concept, or market position.

Our Partners

Would you like to collaborate on a particular project or become a partner? Send us an e-mail and we’ll come back to you within 48 hours.

Would you like to collaborate on a particular project or become a partner? Send us an e-mail and we’ll come back to you within 48 hours.

Memberships

WHU In Praxi logo
European Innovation Bridge logo
Bucerius Law Logo
Factory Berlin logo
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WEBN Wbuzz Network logo
IMA Europe logo
Istanbul Bar Association logo
Turkish Win logo
Sifted logo
Holland Fintech logo
Blockchain Women Istanbul logo
Galatasaray University logo
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