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Arif Gürsel

@sirgursel

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A multi hyphenate entreprenuer-investor-producer-designer, jaywalking the intersection of entertainment, fashion & technology #NYSEA #vibeheavy

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Building a company that attracts capital takes more than a strong idea. It takes a strategy built for scale. 💡

Join Arif Gursel, Managing Director at 8genC - UnCap Ventures, Monique Idlett, Co-Founder & General Partner at Reign Venture, and Kobie Fuller, General Partner at Upfront Ventures, for “Building a Venture-Backable Company.”

In this session, they’ll break down what investors look for in the early stages, why founders often cap their own upside, and how creators and bootstrappers can build for scale without giving up their edge.

Badge Required.

💬 Comment “ATC26” to build your AFROTECH™ Conference 2026 schedule. #AFROTECH #ATC2026 by @sirgursel

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8 days ago

On this 48th revolution around the Sun. I’m embracing this as my YElder (Young Elder) Year. I’m 24 with 24 years of experience. Starting my day with a workout and detox session @thewacseattle then I headed down to SLU to do some deep meditation and relaxation @floatseattle before grabbing the family to spend some much needed quality time. When everyone tells you to slow down, then I’m going to take that as the sign I need to downshift a few of these gears. I love and appreciate my girls for keeping me grounded 🤞🏾

#gurselgang #lionsden #leoszn #vibeheavy #wędødōpéšhït™ taken in Seattle, Washington by @sirgursel

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2 months ago

Mobile money, something simple, yet huge a huge impact on how business is transacted in Ghana and other parts of the continent for more than 20 years!

Tag someone who needs to see that what’s new to you might be old news elsewhere.

What’s was your biggest culture shock in Ghana?

Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. Link in Bio!
#AfricanInnovation #GlobalTech #CulturalGaps #InnovationEverywhere by @sirgursel

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3 months ago

You were the first person to plug me into the community when I moved to Seattle. Always Big Brooklyn energy, it was nothing but love from our first link to our last. Never misaligned, you were always a welcome sight when I walked into any room. You were on speed dial for me anytime I needed a stylist, always supported anything #vibeheavy, and did so with amazing style and grace. So many memories, so few pictures. The Seattle scene has lost a shining star who put on for for the city. You ARE the original Bajan Baddie, with the biggest heart and smile. Rest well my sister, the rooms will never be the same. Long live Queen Unika 🫶🏾🕯️🕊️ #BeUnique taken in Seattle, Washington by @sirgursel

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3 months ago

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3 months ago

Come, witness what is becoming.

KEEPER OF SADNESS
August 1 & 2, 2026
Doors 8:00 PM | Public Activation 8:30 PM
Union Station | 401 S Jackson St | Seattle

RSVP at the link in bio.

#SoloMagic #ThingsToDoSeattle #BlackArtsSeattle #publicart #SeattleDance taken in Union Station (Seattle) by @sirgursel

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3 months ago

Pull up tonight if you are interested in the intersection of data sovereignty and AI agentic work. We’ll be discussing and building agents on the @ainativestudio platform taken in The Union Seattle by @sirgursel

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4 months ago

Golfing with my babies was a perfect laid back Daddy Day #GurselGirls by @sirgursel

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4 months ago

Been building @getonpace and our various programs/activations for over a decade. Through health battles, pandemics, and gatekeepers we continue to do liberation work as spoken to us by our ancestors and the examples set by our elders. I’m honored by this nomination and salute and celebrate all my comrades who jump in those trenches with me everyday to do this work.

🫡✊🏾: @jade_solomon_ @gailboydmgmt @walterbeachiii @lasean @tregemini @calumet2 @jrycheal @ddharris_cncpt #boma #joB @fulviaorlando @tykeenen @resonant.visuals @j_michellep taken in The Union Seattle by @sirgursel

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4 months ago

We’ve been nominated for Best Cultural Center by Seattle Medium, and we’re not taking that lightly. 💙

The Union is where Black Seattle builds, creates, and gathers. On any given week, you’ll find founders launching businesses, podcasters in the studio, creators producing content, filmmakers screening their work, artists in conversation, and community celebrating one another.

We hosted the @cre8tesummit, the Pacific Northwest’s first Cre8tive & Cre8tor Economy Summit. We maintain an archive of Black Seattle’s cultural legacy. We are a co-working space, production studio, incubator, stage, and community home all under one roof in Downtown Seattle.

This nomination means something because YOU made it mean something.

Voting is open NOW through June 19th!

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Thank you, @seattlemediumnews taken in The Union Seattle by @sirgursel

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4 months ago

There are few people in this world that I pick up for first ring. This man right here is one of them. The Consigliere himself, @sirgursel moves mountains for creative culture and reminds us that standards, integrity, and open dialogue are the real drivers behind ideas and businesses that last. You Sir, are the definition, the example, and the proof. I love you big brother. I’d gatekeep you but some people are too good not to share. Seattle you cannot begin to understand what a gift this man is to your city. taken in The Union Seattle by @sirgursel

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5 months ago

I’m Pushing P: Policy, Playbooks, and Proclamations.

Today we dropped the press release highlighting @govferguson (the Governor of WA) has adopted our efforts to acknowledge May as the official Creative and Creator Economy Month for the entire state of WA. This brings the city of Seattle efforts in alignment with the state with two seperate proclamations to signal the need for focused attention on more than film and nightlife.

Next week I’ll be in Spokane meeting with grassroots organizations from all across the state convening to discuss how we build a power base to amplify the needs and build the infrastructure for the communities we serve. Proclamations are cool, but they don’t equal power or municipal support, and therefore we continue to carry the weight of ensuring the future for under-served and underresourced communities we serve @getonpace is not left behind in the myriad of studies and memos that have yet to turn into actionable and quantified outcomes.

This is the reason we built and invested in the creative and creator economy community infrastructure in the form of @theunionsea and have developed the @cre8tesummit. We look forward to learning and growing with others in the ecosystem this May as we gather to swap playbooks and build sustainable systems. #cre8tesumthin #creativeeconomy #creatoreconomy #theunion #getonpace taken in Seattle, Washington by @sirgursel

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6 months ago