Serhad Akkoc — Product & Commercial Leadership

01 / Profile

Technology is the starting point.
Business impact is the goal.

My experience spans product strategy, commercialization, B2B business development, international go-to-market, enterprise partnerships and executive leadership. I've worked across enterprise technology, SaaS, telecom, location intelligence, innovation services and connected-data ecosystems.

At Steelbridge Oy, I have led product and commercial development for an EU Data Act-focused SaaS platform: from MVP and product positioning to enterprise business and a partner ecosystem that includes collaboration with Deloitte Germany. The platform is featured in the 2026 Datatalouden kiinnostavimmat data-economy listing.

I combine an MBA and urban/GIS background with formal studies in Innovation and Industrial Change at Åbo Akademi University, applying a practical, customer-led approach to emerging technologies.

Product strategy & roadmapEnterprise B2BGTM & pricingStrategic partnershipsAI / Data / IoTCross-functional leadership

02 / Selected work

Products, platforms and
measurable outcomes.

From AI-powered discovery and consumer search to automotive mapping and B2B data platforms.

RegTech · SaaS · Product ownership

Steelbridge

Turning a regulatory need into a commercial platform

Led a greenfield B2B data-compliance and marketplace platform for connected-product ecosystems. Translated customer needs into MVP scope, pricing, consent and data-access workflows, and a partner-led go-to-market approach.

4industrial verticals

8+platform modules

€50Kfirst enterprise ARR contract

Product discovery, roadmap prioritisation, enterprise GTM and data-platform monetisation.

Recognised in the 2026 Datatalouden kiinnostavimmat listing; whitepaper with Deloitte Germany.

Read the references ↗

Applied AI · NLP search · Funding discovery

Spinverse / Spinbase

Making EU funding intelligence searchable

Expanded Spinbase, an AI/NLP SaaS search engine for finding relevant funding opportunities, funded projects and potential collaboration partners. Prioritised customer-led search verticals and funding-database coverage, connecting an indexed knowledge base to practical research and innovation workflows.

36EU programmes

40K+funded projects

63K+organisations

Applied AI to a business solution: semantic discovery, clearer customer use cases and GTM for universities, research institutes, cities and innovation teams.

60% higher user engagement; secured Amazon Poland as an enterprise customer (€20K ARR).

Search · Mobile services · Partner ecosystems

Huawei

Scaling an international platform ecosystem

Grew the Huawei Mobile Services, Petal Search and AppGallery partner ecosystem. Connected enterprise partners with product and engineering teams, translating partner needs into API requirements and integration workflows across European markets.

+190%partner-network growth

1,400+integrated partner apps

10countries in the growth initiative

Platform distribution, partner onboarding, API ecosystems and international commercial execution.

Regional Best-Performing Business Team recognition.

Search technology · B2C verticals · Distribution

Yandex

Bringing a search ecosystem to a new market

Launched and localised Search, Maps and Navigator in Turkey, Yandex’s first non-CIS market. Built experience across search technology, consumer product localisation, vertical B2C services and CPC/CPA monetisation, supported by distribution partnerships with ISPs, OEMs, mobile operators and football clubs.

3% → 6.6%desktop search share

110strategic partnerships

8.2Mmonthly unique users by Jan 2016

Search distribution and consumer adoption: a co-branded navigation launch generated 194K downloads in 24 hours and reached 1.5M active users in nine months.

375% CTR improvement through search-distribution partnerships.

Location-based services · Mapping · Automotive

NAVTEQ / Nokia (later HERE)

Building the location-data foundation

As Product Country Manager, scaled Turkey’s automotive-grade navigation database and national field-data operations. Connected geographic data quality, map coverage and production capacity with the needs of automotive OEMs and location-based services, managing the operational investment needed to deliver at scale.

+250%navigation-database scale in 3 years

45person field-data organisation

4offices opened in 2 years

Location intelligence, automotive mapping, data-production operations and CAPEX/OPEX planning.

Established nationwide production capacity and earned fastest-data-producer / market-leader recognition.

Digital transformation · SMB products · AI-assisted services

Yellow Pages

Turning a directory business into digital growth

Led a 30-person cross-functional operation through a commercial turnaround. Redesigned digital advertising packages and value-based pricing for SMB customers, improved the platform and CRM, and introduced an early AI-assisted customer chatbot.

1,500+customers served

+45%traffic and user engagement

6 monthscommercial turnaround window

Product strategy, conversational services, digital monetisation and commercial operations.

Restored targeted annual sales and reversed a negative P&L.

03 / Independent projects

From an idea to
an experience you can explore.

Current work demonstrating product thinking, AI use cases and marketplace design.

AgentKirala · Live demoAI agents for
small-business operations.

FinanceSales & CRMDocumentsCustomer support

AgentKirala / Agent Rent

An independent project exploring how SMBs can use role-specific AI agents through subscription or project-based rental. The public demo presents finance, travel and document workflows alongside sales, support, HR, social media and inventory use cases.

Demonstrates product packaging, onboarding, task visibility and approval flows. The proposition includes connecting business tools and keeping critical actions subject to human approval.

Skills in practice: AI product design, workflow orchestration, SMB positioning and SaaS packaging.

Explore the live demo ↗

FDCA Capacity Exchange · ConceptMatch infrastructure capacity
with qualified demand.

GPU capacityBare metalMember signalsIntroductions

FDCA Capacity Exchange

A conceptual data-centre capacity exchange for discovering available GPU and bare-metal infrastructure and publishing qualified demand. The interactive prototype filters signals by accelerator, service model and region, then demonstrates a consent-based introduction journey.

Designed around association neutrality, member validation, time-limited listings and technical fit. The association facilitates introductions rather than reselling infrastructure.

Skills in practice: B2B marketplace discovery, matching workflows, information architecture and trust design. Independent concept prototype with illustrative capacity data.

Explore the concept prototype ↗

04 / Publications & recognition

Evidence behind the work.

Download the original whitepaper and the published Steelbridge recognition article.

Deloitte and Steelbridge whitepaper cover

Deloitte Germany × Steelbridge · May 2026

Navigating the EU Data Act

Co-authored whitepaper: Turning compliant data access into business value. Connects the compliance journey with data-sharing workflows, industry scenarios and the Steelbridge Data Act Platform.

Download whitepaper · PDF ↓

2026Datatalouden
kiinnostavimmatData economy recognition

Steelbridge · Product recognition

Featured among Finland’s data-economy solutions

Steelbridge is featured in the 2026 Datatalouden kiinnostavimmat listing. The initiative involves Data Spaces Alliance Finland, Sitra and TIEKE, alongside Business Finland and Technology Industries of Finland.

The article describes how the platform turns complex EU Data Act requirements into structured data access, consent and audit-documentation workflows.

Download recognition article · PDF (Finnish) ↓

05 / Speaking & media

Ideas, partnerships and
career moments.

Selected appearances, publications and milestones across AI, connected data and international technology. Select any image for a closer look.

Speaking & thought leadership

**TechClass AI Forum**Sharing perspectives on AI and market development.

Serhad Akkoc presenting Huawei Mobile Services on stage at Slush — **Huawei Mobile Services at Slush**On-stage presentation on Huawei’s mobile-services ecosystem.

**Deloitte × Steelbridge webinar**A discussion on the EU Data Act.

Publications & perspectives

**Deloitte × Steelbridge whitepaper**Navigating the EU Data Act: turning compliant data access into business value.

**Whitepaper contacts**The contributors and contact page from the publication.

Yellow Pages chatbot coverageBrand magazine interview on conversational digital services.

Career & ecosystem milestones

**Introducing Steelbridge at a SITRA event**

**Yandex football club technology partnership ceremony**

**Huawei at Slush**Technology and ecosystem presentation.

Yellow Pages profileA career feature in the media.

**Avea recognition**Recognition from an earlier telecom career chapter.

06 / How I contribute

Where I create value.

Bridging product, customer and commercial priorities — from early validation to international scale.

01 — PRODUCT

Product strategy & execution

Customer discovery, value propositions, roadmaps, MVP validation, prioritization and lifecycle decisions.

02 — COMMERCIAL

Go-to-market & growth

Market entry, enterprise sales, pricing, demand development and commercialization of complex solutions.

03 — ECOSYSTEMS

Partnerships & leadership

Strategic alliances, cross-functional teams, stakeholder alignment and international business networks.

08 / Get in touch

Let's make something valuable happen.

Whether you're recruiting for a senior product or commercial role, exploring a partnership, or looking for an experienced advisor — I'd be happy to connect.

Emailserhadakkoc@mail.com ↗

LocationEspoo · Helsinki metropolitan area · Finland

Building products.
Scaling businesses.

Technology is the starting point.
Business impact is the goal.