Mr. Oltac Unsal

Oltac Unsal brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of venture capital, technology entrepreneurship, and innovation policy. As the President of Smyrna Capital, he has backed over 45 startups in technology, renewable energy, and other high-growth sectors. His investment approach extends beyond capital, providing direct mentorship on product development, financing, market positioning, and international growth. Through Smyrna and his advisory work, he has helped founders translate breakthrough ideas into scalable ventures with measurable impact.

Previously, Oltac held senior roles in both multilateral and corporate innovation. At the World Bank, he managed early-stage innovation financing programs in more than 50 countries through infoDev. He led innovation-led economic development initiatives with ministers and heads of state in 30+ nations. At Microsoft, as Senior Portfolio and Offerings Manager, he restructured the company’s global Enterprise Services business, engineering a turnaround from a $500 million unprofitable unit into an $800 million profit center in three years. His leadership included reinventing the offerings strategy, reducing support costs by 42%, and accelerating customer response times by 75%. He also served as an Investor-in-Residence at USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures, supporting frontier entrepreneurs who advance development-driven innovations.

Oltac holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Whitman College. At TIV, he leverages this depth of experience in venture finance, corporate strategy, and international development to advise clients on commercialization pathways, raising capital, financial engineering, entrepreneurship ecosystems, and accelerating technology-driven growth across global markets.