Elif Akbaş Şener graduated from the Department of Statistics at Yıldız Technical University in 2011. During her university studies, she worked at IPSOS on market research and analysis projects. Following graduation, she joined NoviCor Technology Partners as a Project Consultant.

Between 2011 and 2016, she worked as a Project Manager at the company, helping R&D- and innovation-driven companies and entrepreneurs access national and international funding mechanisms, fostering university–industry collaboration, and managing these collaborations across academia, the private sector, public institutions, technoparks, and intermediary organizations such as Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). From 2014 to 2016, she also served as Business Development Manager at the same company, where she was responsible for promoting and marketing the company’s services, managing sales and contract processes, and developing client relationships.

In the second half of 2016, she joined EVAM Yazılım Danışmanlık A.Ş., one of the successful start-ups to expand internationally, as Sales Operations and Customer Relations Manager. In May 2023, she earned the Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) certification, which is recognized in more than 60 countries.