Yunus Tunak

What makes me a good advisor:
With 20+ years building products and teams from the ground up—including founding my own studio and scaling/leading international design consultancy locally in different geographies—I help early-stage and growth companies avoid expensive mistakes while moving fast. I bring proven expertise in three critical areas:

Innovation: I turn constraints into competitive advantage. Currently leading AI strategy at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, I%27ve championed emerging technologies before they%27re mainstream—adopting AI and low-code platforms to accelerate delivery with lean teams. I earned 5 international patents at Arçelik and built award-winning products for Turkey%27s three largest banks serving millions of users. My approach: fail-fast experimentation with commercial discipline. I know what%27s worth building and what%27s waste.

Operations: I build lean, high-performing teams that ship. From founding my own studio to recruiting and mentoring 25+ designers at Fjord, I%27ve scaled design and product operations without bloat. I%27ve transformed teams to agile delivery that cuts product cycles in half, implemented DesignOps frameworks that work at startup speed, and maintained exceptional team retention through psychological safety and practical leadership. I currently lead cross-functional teams of 20 managing product, engineering, and design—delivering on time and budget while keeping the culture intact.

Strategy: I bridge vision and execution for founders and leaders. I lead Fjord%27s Istanbul business, pitched and won accounts across Europe and MENA and LATAM, and advised everyone from topline e-commerce like HepsiBurada to governments to mining operations on digital transformation. I translate ambitious visions into practical roadmaps, help secure funding through compelling product narratives, and navigate the complexity of scaling from early product-market fit to millions of users. I%27ve worked across B2C, B2B, and B2B2C models in fintech, e-commerce, SaaS, and consumer technology.

Companies that benefit most:
Early-stage startups (Seed to Series B) building design-led products, especially in fintech, SaaS, and consumer tech. Growth-stage companies (Series B+) scaling operations while maintaining product quality and team culture. Companies pivoting or expanding into new markets who need someone who%27s built studios, launched products internationally, and navigated rapid growth. PE-backed businesses modernizing operations or digital propositions.

I%27m particularly valuable to founders and leadership teams who need a %22been there, built that%22 advisor—someone who%27s founded companies, scaled teams from 1 to 25+, shipped 50+ products, and knows the difference between startup theater and real traction.