Co-founder, CEO
2019 - PRESENTRelayPay- Developed the world's first crypto payment processor with a unique Buy Now, Pay Later model for eCommerce merchants.
- Designed a price explorer API solution to make RelayPay scan the best exchange rate for the end-users.
- Closed partnership deals with #1 Hardware Wallet Trezor and Australia's largest ATM network provider Banktech.
- Prepared the investor pitch deck and successfully closed a $500,000 seed investment.
- Designed the user stories and end-to-end customer and fund flows.
Head of Product
2017 - 2019Synthetix- Reported directly to the founder and led internal and external delivery teams (six FTEs). Accountable for product suite of Synthetix, the web apps, and decentralized app interfaces for end-users to interact with blockchain smart contracts.
- Launched the core products of Synthetix; Swappr.io, Mintr, and Synthetix Exchange. Created over $200 million in trading volume within less than six months. The product suite enables users to buy, sell, swap Synthetix tokens, and invest in FOREX, Stock, and Commodities markets through blockchain without using a bank account or broker.
- Led the go-to-marketing execution of Synthetix’s, then Havven, and successful $30 million fundraising on performance media with a budget of less than $250,000.
- Applied various growth hacking initiatives, such as modeling and running a referral campaign which helped the website reach over 1 million unique visitors on the month prior to ICO. This led the ICO to have an over-subscribed round receiving investments from over 5,000 participants in under 90 minutes.
- Launched the world's first e-store that accepts stablecoin, a cryptocurrency soft pegged to USD, as a payment option to sell Apple products.
Co-founder, Chief Product Officer
2015 - 2017PetSleepover- Executed the project from idea generation to cross-platform product launch with thousands of users. Successfully established a self-sufficient and asset-light company.
- Led a team of outsourced developers and designers to build a cross-platform product (iOS, Android, Web).
Senior Manager
2013 - 2017Vodafone Australia- Managed the product design and go-to-market execution of strategic consumer products. Spearheaded cross-functional teams (over 20 FTEs) and led a CEO-sponsored transformation program with over a $20 million budget to expand digital and direct channels with an improved product range and enhanced experience. Directly contributed towards Vodafone’s 30pts NPS jump and 35pts direct channel mix shift within four years of tenure.
- Designed a market disruptive online-only product portfolio called MyMix that allows pre-paid customers to “pick and mix” their own pre-paid plan. The product had been a key differentiator of Vodafone in the market. MyMix achieved $13 more ARPU and 3x less churn rate within a year compared to the cohort average.
- Increased Vodafone's direct, commission-free, high profitability channel revenue mix by 35pts within two years after leading a transformation program by introducing new payment types and self-service channels such as PayPal, Auto-Recharge, and loyalty and reward initiatives with a digital-first focus.
- Launched an add-on portfolio that is complementary to pre-paid plans with appealing inclusions but shorter daily and weekly validity. Portfolio reached over 20% take-up rate, had a 11% share of total revenue, and reduced the churn rate of the user base by 50%.
- Launched a market-leading product called Roam Like Home that allows customers to use their local plans in New Zealand. The product helped the number of New Zealand roamers increase by 70% YoY, contributed to acquisitions (~30% of New Zealand roamers were new to Vodafone) and received an Innovation Award by Canstar.
Group Product Manager
2012 - 2013Vodafone Group- Led the go-to-market execution of a Daily Roaming product that allows customers use their local bundles abroad with a daily fee (€3/day), by managing a multi-cultural and cross-functional team of over 20 FTEs across Vodafone OpCos in Europe. Over ten million subscribers opted-in to the product within the first year. Daily Roaming became a global proposition and launched by all Vodafone operators and partner networks. The product is now in the market in a total of over 40 operators around the world.
- Released and presented a monthly financial analysis of Vodafone Group’s Retail Roaming performance to group executives and OpCo CEOs. At the time, Retail Roaming was contributing six billion Euro to Vodafone Group P&L.
- Coordinated LRP studies for Group Roaming P&L with stakeholders in each OpCo. Managed the assessment of strategic product ideas with finance, regulation teams, and market leads in each group operator.
Product Manager
2010 - 2012Vodafone Turkey- Launched a Daily Roaming product for the first time in Vodafone Group OpCos. The product created widespread social and media coverage, which contributed to VodafoneTurkey's move to being the #1 NPS position in the market.
- Reinforced the product and segment team for the launch of a new plan portfolio called Vodafone Advantage. For the first time in Vodafone markets, post-paid plans bundled with international minutes, and this disruptive strategy boosted new high-value-customer acquisitions by over 20% while keeping the margin steady.
- Negotiated wholesale incoming and outgoing voice and data inter-operator-traffic (IoT) deals with Vodafone Group OpCos, partner markets, and competition, directly with senior leadership teams.
- Invited as event speaker on various forums, including the Global Roaming forum, to share Vodafone Turkey’s success story of using roaming and international calling to acquire a high-value-customer base.
Senior Account Manager
2006 - 2010Turkcell- Managed wholesale roaming negotiations with over 40 account executives of over 100 European and Asian operators every year, a portfolio valued over €90 million, to secure incoming roaming revenue while optimizing outbound margins.
- Increased Turkcell's inbound wholesale revenue share by 20pts and hit a 65% revenue share by mainly acquiring traffic from the Vodafone Turkey portfolio.
- Worked as a Roaming Consultant to transform the wholesale business and coach local teams for Turkcell Group Operators: Life Ukraine and BEST Belarus.
Charlie Karaboga
Product Manager in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Member since September 28, 2019
Charlie has over ten years of experience leading product and delivery teams in Europe and Australia. Having worked in both startups and Fortune 500 companies, Charlie ran several international products with millions of users. He is experienced in the telecom, fintech, and blockchain industries. He is the founder of RelayPay, a cryptocurrency payment processor. Charlie holds an M.Sc. in Technology Management and a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering.
Charlie is now available for hire
Project Highlights
- Launched the World’s first blockchain-based Synthetic Asset platform at Synthetix on the Ethereum network.
- Led the launch of a Daily Roaming product in 14 European countries at Vodafone Group.
- Executed the project from idea generation to cross-platform product launch with thousands of users.
Expertise
- Blockchain Platforms
- Digital Transformation
- Fintech
- Go-to-market Plans
- Pricing Strategy
- Product Management
- Product Strategy
- Telecommunications
Education
- Bogazici University
- Marmara University
Employment
Project History
- Blockchain-based Synthetic Asset platformLaunched the World’s first blockchain-based Synthetic Asset platform at Synthetix on the Ethereum network.
Synthetix, formerly Havven, having raised $30 million in Australia’s largest ICO, is one of Australia’s leading blockchain start-ups. Synthetix creates synthetic financial assets, backed by a collateral token on Ethereum that tracks the assets’ actual off-chain value. The platform democratizes access to financial instruments, such as FOREX, commodities and stock markets, worldwide for banked and unbanked users.
- Daily Subscription Model for RoamingLed the launch of a Daily Roaming product in 14 European countries at Vodafone Group.
Led the go-to-market execution of a Daily Roaming product that allows customers use their local bundles abroad with a daily fee (€3/day), by managing a multi-cultural and cross-functional team of over 20 FTEs across Vodafone OpCos in Europe. Over ten million subscribers opted-in to the product within the first year. Daily Roaming became a global proposition and launched by all Vodafone operators and partner networks. The product is now in the market in a total of over 40 operators around the world.
- PetSleepover: A Marketplace for Pet Sitters and OwnersExecuted the project from idea generation to cross-platform product launch with thousands of users.
Pet ownership is a unique human experience that connects us to nature and our past. The friction and cost involved in owning a pet are significant and can be a barrier to having this awesome experience. I launched PetSleepover to work towards reducing as much friction as possible and connecting the various parts of this fragmented ecosystem to allow an easier and more modern relationship to pets.
Education
- Master of Science Degree in Engineering & Technology Management2006 - 2008Bogazici University - Istanbul, Turkey
- Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering2001 - 2006Marmara University - Istanbul, Turkety
