Strategy only matters when it leads to results.
Cerebellum Advisors bridges strategy and execution, helping founders, investors, and boards navigate growth, transformation, and turnaround.
Who We Are
We partner with founders, investors, and boards at pivotal moments — delivering strategy, trust, and results when it matters most.
At our core: Strategy • Trust • Results
What We Do
We focus on four areas where experience and objectivity make the difference:
Startup Advisory
Helping founders become strong execution leaders
Founders don’t need to be natural executioners — but they do need to learn how to lead with discipline. We support entrepreneurs from the earliest stages — choosing the right market, shaping the product, and identifying the right audience — through to scaling, reorganizing, or even scaling down when necessary. Our work includes organizational design, leadership management, navigating board dynamics, and building resilient teams. We also guide investment strategy, fundraising preparation, and help founders understand and navigate the investor landscape. By bringing the experience of both scaling and restructuring at a global level, we ensure founders can grow into leaders who can execute with clarity and impact.
Independent Board Membership & Fractional Roles
Boardroom perspective combined with leadership execution
These roles are taken on directly by Selin, leveraging her board experience and executive leadership at Getir and Paksoy. Having led 300+ organizations and multi-functional teams across governance, legal, people, operations, and strategy, Selin brings a rare combination of independent oversight and executional strength. As a board member, she provides objective governance and strategic clarity. In fractional roles, she commits defined time each month or for the duration of a project, offering hands-on leadership during periods of transformation or integration. This combination ensures companies benefit from both trusted boardroom insight and proven operational execution.
Investor Portfolio Advisory
Supporting investors in creating and protecting value
Family offices, private equity, venture capital, and institutional investors often face complex portfolio challenges. We provide board-level or COO-style support, coaching founders, strengthening governance, and stepping in to stabilize operations when under pressure. Where investors lack the time to manage an asset directly, we act as a trusted partner to oversee companies in need, ensuring alignment and discipline. Beyond management, we can scout new opportunities, assess risks, and advise on capital deployment. Our role is to unlock value by aligning leadership, strategy, and stakeholders — helping investors protect and grow their portfolios with confidence.
Restructuring & Turnaround
Guiding companies and stakeholders through disciplined recovery
When companies face financial or operational stress, clarity and alignment are essential. We work with management teams to reset strategy, realign leadership, and stabilize execution — while also engaging investors and creditors to secure their support. Our focus is on creating stability and a clear path to recovery. With experience in restructuring both fast-growth startups and complex international organizations, we help leadership teams regain control, rebuild momentum, and move forward with discipline and confidence.
How We Work
Strategy only matters when it leads to results.
We are:
Pragmatic - grounded in real-world execution.
Cross-Border - experienced across Turkey, Europe, the UK, and the US.
Trusted - relied upon in high-stakes moments.
Flexible - able to engage as advisor, board member, or interim executive.
Our strategies are built for implementation — and when required, we step in to oversee delivery.
Founder
Selin Barlın Aral
Selin Barlın Aral is a strategist, board advisor, and governance expert helping organizations scale, transform, and recover with clarity and execution.
Born into an entrepreneurial family, Selin has carried an ownership mindset throughout her career. She began as an associate at Paksoy and rose to become one of the youngest partners in the firm’s history, advising multinationals on cross-border M&A, restructuring, and real estate. Known for her ownership mindset, Selin not only expanded her expertise into new areas but also took on administrative roles within the firm from early days on. She was always regarded as an embedded and trusted partner to her clients.
In 2020, Selin joined Getir as Chief Legal & People Officer to become part of the story rather than remain outside counsel. She quickly established herself as a strategic partner to business leaders and the board — often stepping in as the trusted backup for operational and business executives. She built a global legal team of 100+ across nine countries, assumed leadership of government relations, PR, and HR where needed, and ultimately led over 400 professionals across legal, people, safety, and regulatory functions. She oversaw global acquisitions and integrations (including N11, Gorillas, and FreshDirect), major funding rounds, and two consecutive restructurings as the company scaled from $350M to $12B.
Today, Selin leads Cerebellum Advisors (2025–present), a firm dedicated to supporting founders, investors, and boards at pivotal moments. She is driven by helping leadership teams succeed under pressure and build resilience in uncertain times.
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