Murat is an engineer, author and technology entrepreneur. He recently sold Centrl, a location-based social networking startup that he founded in 2008. At the time of the sale, the application was the first to offer a free IM-on-a-map-system that was not reliant on SMS.

A tireless force on the NYC tech startup scene, Murat founded the Entrepreneurs Roundtable in 2007. The organization, which holds monthly “short pitch” format meetings connecting investors with promising startups, has created active and engaged communities New York City, Philadelphia, Turkey and Japan, with India and China coming soon.

In 2011, Murat co-authored Location-Aware Applications, a comprehensive guide to the technology and business of creating compelling location-based services and applications.

Murat has served as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s most well known brands including AT&T, Sony, Panasonic, Logitech and Pioneer. He has established engineering infrastructures and software development methodologies for numerous startups including Improv, Sonicbox, Plaxo, Manyone and Coollris. His expertise has been in constant demand; he has managed engineering teams for Silicon Graphics in Mountain View and Sony Corporation in San Jose and Tokyo.

He is a frequent speaker at technology and entrepreneurship conferences and panels, such as Mobile Marketing Association Forum, Monaco Media Forum, Ultra Light Startups, Siggraph and New York Entrepreneur Week.

Murat serves as a board member for the Turkish American Business Forum and is co-founder of the Turkish Founders Club. He is an advisor at MIT Enterprise Forum, Standard Start, Girls In Tech and the Turkish Women’s International Network.

Murat holds an M.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Electrics and Electronics from Bilkent University, in Ankara, Turkey.