With over 25 years of experience of international deal making and marketing, 11 of which in digital media and international product marketing and business development at Apple Computer in California and Paris, Ferhan Cook is helping entrepreneurs in international access and investor access in Turkey and other international markets.
Ferhan is the co-founder of London-based m-Spark.org, a newly created virtual start-up accelerator and advisory, designed to help social entrepreneurs in strategic business modeling, investor pitching and partnership/investor matching. m-Spark.org focuses especially on mobile and internet powered social impact projects, across the world as well as in Turkey. m-Spark.org’s acceleration model is personal and hands-on, aiming to lead the carefully-selected entrepreneurs to success, focusing on whichever area they feel they most need the help for. (www.m-spark.org).
For the past 3 years Cook has been a founding member of Galata Business Angels, Turkey’s first angel network. Cook is interested in helping build bridges between regular investors and impact investors, and to help grow this emerging ecosystem in Turkey. She is starting initiatives in this area, including a partnership with the newly created Sabanci University Social Investment Program. Ferhan Cook is also associated with various social entrepreneurship and impact investor networks around the world, such as Ashoka London and Istanbul, the Clearly Social Angels in London, and TONIIC in Vienna and London.
In addition to digital strategy and business development consulting, for 10 years from 2000 and 2010,Cook has created and executive produced digital media conferences of MIPTV and MIPCOM TV markets in Cannes, France. She served on various international juries such as the International Interactive Emmys, Korean GMCA awards, the MIPCOM Mobile TV Awards and the Content 360 Cross Media Festival at MIPCOM and MIPTV where she evaluated thousands of creative digital content and mobile apps.
Lastly, she curated and produced the unique 2012 TEDxSilkRoad Istanbul conference, and the June 2013 Mobile Horizons Istanbul VIP Event focusing on future mobile technologies, in partnership with the mobile technology leader Qualcomm.
Over the years, Cook has promoted many talented creators and entrepreneurs on to international stage, helping them gain international recognition, find funders and key partners through her conferences and networking events as well as the business advisory services. Cook would like to share these experiences to benefit young entrepreneurs now.