Tayfun Uslu

Istanbul, Turkey

Member since January 19, 2017

Tayfun is an entrepreneur/finance professional who co-founded a software application development company and an online retail shop, which achieved $10M+ in revenues in three years. He has provided financial and strategic expertise to founders and senior management in the eCommerce, SaaS, indoor navigation, renewable energy, and telecom sectors. He freelances to gain exposure to companies in a variety of industries and maturities.

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)Valuation Financial Modeling Three Statement Operating Model Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)Show more

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Career Highlights

Consultant
Freelance
Co-Founder & CEO
Dalf.io
Co-founder & COO
Sefamerve.com

Academic Highlights

Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Cornell University
Master's degree
Rochester Institute of Technology
Bachelor's degree
Rochester Institute of Technology

Case studies

Valuation of a Mobile Payment Startup
- Valuation
- Capitalization Optimization
- Startups
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Business Planning
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Global Pharma Forecast
- Forecasting
- Macroeconomic Forecasting
- Primary Research (Interviews, Surveys, Focus Groups)
Fundraising for a Software Developer Tool Startup
- Fundraising
- Funding Presentations
- Presentation Design
- Pricing
- New Product Development
- Customer Segmentation
Renewable Energy Project Finance
- Financial Statement Preparation
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Debt Financing
- Equity
- Project Finance
- Financial Projections

Industry Expertise

High-tech Startups
Retail & Wholesale

Software Expertise

Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint

Other Expertise

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
SaaS
Valuation

Employment

Consultant
Freelance
2010 - PRESENT
- Analyzed pricing and suggested freemium and gradual pricing options for a regional mobile SaaS eCommerce player (via Toptal) to increase conversion and retention based on Microsoft BI output. Prepared a flexible forecasting model to compare new and existing pricing plan impact on the top line.
- Analyzed pricing models of more than 15 AI companies for an AI SaaS startup (via Toptal) and ranked them based on their startup-friendly pricing, which is based on freemium pricing and a clear value metric. Prepared a flexible financial model that computes the impact of various pricing options on three financial statements.
- Assisted in the preparation of a business model and deck of a mobile geolocation app startup. The company successfully raised $1 million in a seed round.
- Performed technical and financial due diligence on the solar, wind, and biomass industries for a boutique renewable-focused investment bank. Assisted in the preparation of confidential information memoranda for project financing and M&A activity for a pipeline worth $400 million.
- Performed legal, technical, and financial due diligence of renewable energy projects for an energy project developer with PV, CSP Solar, and ISCC technologies.
- Analyzed customer preferences by conducting primary research mainly among Fortune 500 companies’ CIO/CTOs for a global chip manufacturer. Developed data-backed recommendations and presented them to the department head.
- Provided a strategic overview of the Turkish market for a launch product in the medical devices market to be used as the basis for emerging market countries for a top five global pharma player. Devised both a quantitative and a qualitative process.
- Implemented changes to a major telecom company in order to decrease retention and increase profitability for a $100+ million product line. The work involved a significant amount of modeling and cost-based pricing schemes.
- Led the RFP response team for a project in the US that would significantly increase the global footprint of a global airport design, construction, and operation provider. Contributed to the content and design of the RFP response.
- Led the RFP response of a global lounge operator for the lounge operations in the US. Work involved project management, content preparation, and graphical representation to fully respond to the RFP. Client was short listed due to the success of RFP response.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions, Valuation, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Three Statement Operating Model, Due Dilligence, Fundraising, Pricing Analysis
Co-Founder & CEO
Dalf.io
2015 - 2017
- Set the SaaS pricing based on product offering and customer segments in the developer tools market.
- Researched the marketplace for distribution of the product via inbound and outbound sales.
- Self-funded the company as an investor until the product reached its beta testing stage.
- Set up the company in the US and prepared sales terms and conditions.
- Prepared a fundraising deck aimed at angel investors.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Market Research, Pricing
Co-founder & COO
Sefamerve.com
2012 - 2014
- Assisted the startup in various functions to reach $10 million in yearly sales in three years.
- Expanded internationally to Europe and MENA via direct sales and partnerships.
- Performed cohort analysis to determine customer lifetime value (CLV) and used it to determine the efficiency of marketing budgets.
- Researched customer service call reasons and took corrective action in other departments to minimize or eliminate those reasons.
- Developed internal systems for order processing and financial projections.
- Formed an internal business intelligence tool to regularly access key business metrics including same customer orders, monthly recurring revenue, and more.
Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Cost Reduction & Optimization, Revenue & Expense Projections

Other Experience

SaaS Pricing Models - Pricing Strategy Examples and Best Practices (Publication)
https://www.toptal.com/finance/pricing-consultants/saas-the-pricing-friendly-business-model
Pricing strategy is one of the most important financial levers that companies have at their disposal to influence the financial success of their business. However, it is not an easy task. This article analyzes SaaS software pricing strategies and finds that several of the operational characteristics of the business model generate some very useful pricing advantages that can help drive financial performance.

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in General Management
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY, USA
2008 - 2009
Master's degree in Telecommunications
Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY, USA
2004 - 2007
Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY, USA
1999 - 2004

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