Open to opportunities

Yasemin Baran

@yaseminbaran

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Innovation and investment professional specialising in agri-food, climate innovation, and startup scaling.

Netherlands

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What I'm looking for

I seek roles where I can design scaling programmes, build cross-sector partnerships, support startup fundraising, and drive climate and agri-food innovation.

I am an innovation and investment professional with 5+ years of experience across VC and EU programmes, specialising in agri-food and climate innovation. I have designed and run EU-level scaling and mentoring programmes, sourced and evaluated startups, and supported portfolio growth through due diligence, KPI tracking, and investor engagement.

I founded a research-driven wine education platform, Explore by Glass, delivering events and building partnerships across Europe, and I bring strong experience in programme and ecosystem management, stakeholder engagement, and financial analysis to support startups and corporate partners in scaling and fundraising.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder

Current

Explore by Glass

May 2024 - Present (1 year 9 months)

Founded a wine education platform covering 10+ underrepresented regions and 20+ indigenous grape varieties, delivering 30+ tastings and masterclasses to over 2,000 participants and building 15+ partner relationships.

entrepreneurship Content Creation Event Production Partnerships Community Building Digital Marketing

Strategic Program & Partnership Manager

Tech Tour / EIC Scaling Club

Dec 2023 - Feb 2026 (2 years 2 months)

Designed and ran EU-level scaling and mentoring programmes in sustainability, climate, and agri-food, selecting and tracking 40+ startups and organising 15+ investor showcases to drive fundraising and pilot opportunities.

Programme Management Partnership Development Stakeholder Engagement Investor Relations KPI Tracking Event Management

Investment Associate

Eleven Ventures

Apr 2023 - Dec 2023 (8 months)

Sourced and evaluated 70+ foodtech, agtech and climate startups, led 5 commercial due diligences and supported 3 investment decisions while advising 10 portfolio companies on growth and investor positioning.

Deal Sourcing Due Diligence Financial Analysis Market Research Portfolio Management Investment Memos

Entrepreneur Experience Assessor

Endeavor

Sep 2021 - Apr 2023 (1 year 7 months)

Evaluated 51 startups for selection and scaling programmes, assessing founder quality and international growth readiness and supporting scaling for 10 fast-growing Turkish companies.

Growth Strategy Founder Evaluation Cross Functional Collaboration

Education & Communications Executive

Doluca Wines

Feb 2021 - Sep 2021 (7 months)

Planned and delivered 20+ brand activations and 30+ wine education initiatives to strengthen brand positioning and engage consumer, trade, and corporate audiences.

Event Management Brand Activation Partnership Management Content Development