Profile

Insider, founded in 2012 by Hande Cilingir and Serhat Soyuerel, has emerged as a dominant force in the marketing industry, revolutionizing the way brands engage with their customers. With its comprehensive platform, Insider seamlessly integrates data from multiple channels, harnesses the power of artificial intelligence, and delivers highly personalized experiences, all from a single platform that prioritizes speed and efficiency.

The company has garnered the trust of over 1200 brands, ranging from fast-growing startups to global enterprises such as Loreal, Santander, and Singapore Airlines. By simplifying the lives of marketers, Insider enables them to streamline data integration, gain valuable insights into user behaviour, and leverage AI technology to proactively anticipate the next moves of their customers. This liberation from IT dependencies empowers marketers to create captivating and brand-building experiences on a large scale, fostering meaningful connections with their target audience.

What began as a modest operation with only six desks has witnessed exponential growth, leading Insider to assemble a diverse team of over 800 professionals spread across 41 countries. While Insider’s headquarters are situated in Kagithane, Istanbul, Turkey, its global reach enables it to serve clients from around the world. The company’s success has been fueled by strategic investments, with a total of 13 investors providing vital funding. Notably, Esas Private Equity and Qatar Investment Authority have played significant roles in Insider’s recent achievements.

Insider’s remarkable journey epitomizes its unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centric solutions, and driving exceptional results for its clients. By consistently pushing the boundaries of marketing technology and prioritizing the needs of its users, Insider has solidified its position as a powerhouse in the industry, poised to shape the future of marketing and customer experiences.

Key Products

Customer Data Platform

Insider’s advanced Customer Data Platform (CDP) revolutionizes customer understanding and engagement. By seamlessly combining offline and online interactions, the CDP constructs a holistic view of customer behaviours, preferences, and needs. This comprehensive understanding enables brands to deliver exceptional experiences by leveraging deep insights into what drives their audience. Integrated with existing tech stacks, Insider’s CDP tracks every interaction, empowering businesses to create tailored user-profiles and customer journeys that transcend basic personalization. Insider’s CDP empowers brands to deliver hyper-personalized messages that resonate consistently and at scale, using over 120 different attributes to create meaningful connections with customers.

Predictive Marketing Engine

The company’s cutting-edge predictive marketing engine takes the guesswork out of customer behaviour. By leveraging advanced AI technology, the engine analyzes both historical data and real-time actions to accurately predict future intent and actions. This AI-led predictive intent engine continuously learns and improves, ensuring its predictions are always refined and precise. The intuitive predictive analytics dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of each user’s position in their customer lifecycle, offering valuable insights into their expected behaviour. Armed with this knowledge, marketers can confidently make informed decisions for their next strategic marketing moves.

Personalization Platform

Their personalization platform empowers brands to engage and retain customers through timely and relevant messaging. By leveraging data and AI, Insider enables 1:1 interactions throughout the customer journey. With advanced personalization software, brands can easily create tailored experiences that drive results. The platform allows for seamless interactions across channels and devices, and marketers can launch personalized campaigns in minutes using pre-built templates. The AI-powered personalization fosters a genuine connection with customers, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Customer Insights

According to G2, Insider is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars based on over 650 reviews and has been rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra. Customers are thoroughly impressed with Insider’s problem-solving team, highlighting their exceptional level of experience and expertise. Not only are they highly knowledgeable, but they are also responsive and take the time to explain solutions in a clear and concise manner.

Customers express their high satisfaction with Insider’s self-service portal, praising its user-friendly interface that allows for the seamless implementation of different campaigns and user experiences in real time. The availability of data reports within the portal further enhances the customer experience.

The simplicity of Insider’s platform is also highly praised, as it has addressed the challenges customers faced in analyzing data and improving communication channels. With Insider’s tools, customers have witnessed significant improvements in their email and mobile app campaigns, allowing them to achieve better results with less effort.

The remarkable AI-powered recommendation engine stands out, as it accurately analyzes customer behavior and predicts their interests, facilitating tailored product recommendations. Customers commend Insider’s all-in-one platform, which consistently delivers effective results and contributes to their overall ongoing growth.

Statistics

• Number of customers globally: 1200+ brands


• Number of employees: 800+


• Number of investors: 13


• Number of companies acquired: 1. They acquired MindBehind on Jan 10, 2023.


• Raised $272.1M in funding over 8 rounds.


• Works out of 6 continents.

Rating and Commentary

With over 1,200 brands globally trusting Insider’s platform, the company has solidified its position as a leader in the industry. Insider has attracted significant investment from notable entities, including the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Riverwood Capital, among others. This support from investors further validates the company’s potential and underscores its vision for continued growth and innovation.

In line with its expansion strategy, Insider has made a very strategic acquisition, acquiring MindBehind, which was acquired on Jan 10, 2023. This acquisition has strengthened Insider’s market position and contributed to its ongoing success in the face of competition from formidable players like Bloomreach and Emarsys.

Furthermore, under the leadership of Hande Cilinger, Insider is positioned for significant growth. Cilinger’s exceptional skills and vision make her the ideal leader to transform Insider into a truly global product company. Her instrumental role in driving Insider’s growth over the past seven years is a testament to her capabilities. With Cilinger at the helm, Insider is poised to expand its reach and impact, leveraging her expertise to propel the company to new heights in the future.

Overall, Insider’s impressive track record, extensive customer base, global reach, and ongoing commitment to innovation position it as a key player in the marketing industry. With a focus on delivering personalized experiences and harnessing the power of data and AI, Insider is poised to remain a significant force in driving marketing transformation for brands around the world.

Insider's Video

Key Executives

Hande Cilinger, Co-Founder and CEO

Hande Cilingir is a dynamic leader driving Insider’s operations, culture, global growth, and technology development. With international experience spanning the Middle East, the UK, China and Russia, she possesses the skills to create a truly global product company and has therefore unsurprisingly been instrumental in Insider’s growth over the past seven years. Hande’s dedication to building a strong company culture and developing disruptive technologies, such as Predictive Ad Audiences, has been crucial to Insider’s success in the marketing industry.

Serhat Soyuerel, Co-founder & CRO

Serhat Soyuerel is at the forefront of driving the company’s growth and expansion into new markets. His educational background includes studies at the London School of Economics and the New York Institute of Technology. Before co-founding Insider, Serhat gained valuable experience in investment banking while working in Moscow. Additionally, he has a track record of entrepreneurial success, having co-founded a startup that grew to a team of 400 individuals and achieved a successful exit, alongside Hande Cilingir. Serhat’s expertise in scaling organizations and his entrepreneurial acumen have been instrumental in Insider’s journey to becoming a prominent player in the marketing industry.

Meyar Sheikh, Global President

Meyar is a seasoned digital marketing and e-commerce technology entrepreneur with over 22 years of B2B SaaS market leadership experience. He co-founded Certona, a pioneering e-commerce personalization company, and served as CEO for 15 years until its acquisition by Kibo. With a background in Web Analytics, Meyar brings extensive industry knowledge and networks to Insider, where he will play a key role in executing the company’s go-to-market strategy and driving rapid expansion. His partnership with product, marketing, sales, and customer success teams will ensure Insider maintains its market leadership and delivers exceptional service.

Christopher Baldwin, VP of Demand Generation, Brand & Communications

Christopher is a dynamic B2B/B2B2C marketing leader with extensive expertise in the ecommerce, marketing, and CX domains. With a focus on GTM strategy and execution, he has been recognized as one of the Top 30 B2B Marketers Under 30. Christopher’s track record showcases his ability to drive teams from conception to reporting, aligning marketing and sales efforts to deliver ROI and revenue growth. With 9+ years of global experience across agency and in-house settings, he excels in executing vision in demanding environments, having worked with prestigious organizations such as NASDAQ and pre-IPO companies.

Organizational Insights

Insider has a 4.6 rating on Glassdoor, with 92% of employees recommending the company to their friends. Employees at Insider consistently praise the company for its exceptional working environment and positive culture. They describe their colleagues as talented, friendly, and always eager to lend a helping hand. The company’s commitment to fostering a supportive team environment is highly valued by employees, contributing to a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose.

Insider is recognized for its well-run and solid business operations, setting it apart from other players in the digital industry. Employees appreciate the company’s strong product offering, which boasts a diverse feature set and an intuitive user-friendly interface. The product’s quality and effectiveness contribute to employees’ pride in their work and their confidence in delivering value to clients.

The feedback culture at Insider is characterized by directness and honesty. While some employees note that this can be challenging at times, they also recognize its benefits in terms of personal growth and professional development. The company encourages individuals to embrace new challenges and continuously learn, creating an environment that fosters individual and collective improvement.

The company also provides ample opportunities for career growth and success. Employees appreciate the flat organizational structure, which allows for regular interaction with executive leaders and a more direct line of communication. This accessibility to top-level management fosters a sense of empowerment and engagement among employees.

Overall, Insider’s exceptional culture, talented workforce, and attractive benefits package contribute to a highly positive employee experience. The company’s commitment to fostering a supportive and growth-oriented environment sets it apart as an employer of choice in the industry.

Board Members

Fadi Ghandour

Fadi Ghandour is the Executive Chairman of Wamda Group, a platform that invests in and develops entrepreneurship ecosystems in the Middle East and North Africa. As the founder of Aramex, a leading global logistics company, Fadi spent 30 years as its CEO, transforming it into a prominent emerging market logistics firm with a global presence. With a passion for entrepreneurship and social impact, Fadi has been involved in founding and investing in numerous companies across various industries. Fadi’s entrepreneurial achievements and commitment to social entrepreneurship have made him a respected figure in the business and philanthropic realms.

Pieter Kemps

Pieter Kemps is a Partner at Surge, an initiative by Sequoia Capital. Other than being a board member at Insider, he is also actively involved as a Board Member in companies such as Nugit, Qoala, Carousell, and HealthEngine. Pieter joined Sequoia in 2014 and focuses on advising and investing in Consumer Internet, Mobile, Fintech, and Software companies in Southeast Asia. With a passion for building, Pieter has been involved in startups since his college days and has contributed to the development of global products for tech companies. Prior to joining Sequoia, he played a key role in building the Asian presence of @awscloud.

Chris Varelas

Chris Varelas is a Co-founding Partner of Riverwood Capital, a private equity firm. He is known for his expertise in the financial industry and his commitment to fostering leadership development. Additionally, he has made significant contributions to the Aspen Institute, where he founded the Aspen Finance Fellows program aimed at cultivating enlightened leaders in the financial services sector. Chris Varelas’ remarkable career and dedication to shaping the industry make him a respected figure in the world of finance.

Investors

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA)

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is a sovereign wealth fund with a key focus on safeguarding and expanding financial assets while promoting economic diversification. With an extensive investment portfolio, they have made 74 investments, with 33 of them being lead investments. In addition to their role as lead investors in Insider, QIA has played a prominent role as lead investors in various other companies, including Sync, THG, and Byjus, among many others. Their investment activities reflect their commitment to strategic investments and contributing to the growth and success of notable companies across different sectors.

Riverwood Capital

Riverwood Capital is a technology-focused investment firm that provides financial and intellectual capital to support the growth and expansion of technology companies. Headquartered in California, USA, the firm has successfully raised a total of $3.3 billion across four funds. With a strong track record, Riverwood Capital has made 79 investments to date, demonstrating its commitment to identifying and backing promising ventures. Their most recent investment was on March 8, 2023, when they participated in a $25 million funding round for Cognosos.

500 Global

500 Global is a prominent venture capital firm with a global presence, offering a comprehensive network of startup programs designed for founders, mentors, and investors. Headquartered in San Francisco, USA, the firm has successfully raised a total of $652.2 million across 29 funds, showcasing its ability to attract substantial capital for investment activities. With a strong investment track record, 500 Global has made a remarkable 3,063 investments to date. Through their extensive investments and programs, 500 Global actively contributes to the growth and development of the global startup ecosystem.

Key Milestones

• Insider acquired MindBehind on Jan 10, 2023


• Won G2’S Top 50, Best Software Awards (2023)


• Insider Announces Steve Cakebread to Join Advisory Board (2023)


• Insider secures a monumental investment of $105 million to fuel its M&A activities, enabling strategic acquisitions and strengthening its position in the marketing technology industry (2023)


• Insider launched Integration Hub, WhatsApp Commerce, Personalized Search, and over 20 new features to help businesses scale and future-proof their CX in April 2023


• Insider featured in Gartner’s 2022 Leaders list.

News and Press Releases

• March 21, 2023: Insider launches WhatsApp Commerce to help brands deliver end-to-end buying experiences and becomes a Meta Business Solution Provider (BSP) (Read)


• March 28, 2023: Insider announces Integration Hub – enabling businesses to drive more value from their MarTech stack with a powerful ecosystem of 100+ tools in 20+ business categories (Read)


• February 28, 2023: Insider announces 250% growth in France following a series of customer wins, including Mauboussin, Snipfeed, Baobab ou Franprix (Read)


• February 23, 2023: Insider launches Eureka to help brands personalize search results for online shoppers (Read)

Competitors

MoEngage

Founded in 2014, MoEngage is a global company with a presence in 13 countries. Trusted by over 1200 brands, MoEngage empowers companies to orchestrate multi-channel campaigns across push, email, in-app messaging, web push, and SMS. With a team of more than 700 members, MoEngage leverages machine learning to optimize campaigns and drive higher conversions. They have received funding from a total of 16 investors. Among them, Eight Roads Ventures and B Capital Group are the most recent investors who have invested in the company.

Bloomreach

Bloomreach is a digital experience platform that connects comprehensive customer data with detailed product data, enabling brands to deliver highly personalized commerce experiences across various digital touchpoints. By leveraging unified customer and product data with AI-driven optimization, Bloomreach empowers brands to provide personalized customer journeys that feel magical. They serve over 850 global brands and have a dedicated team of more than 900 employees driving innovation. Bloomreach executes around 100,000 email campaigns per day for marketers. In terms of funding, Bloomreach has received investment from 10 investors, with JP Morgan Chase and Bain Capital Ventures being the most recent investors.

Emarsys

Emarsys provides digital marketing leaders and business owners with an omnichannel customer engagement platform designed to drive business outcomes. Their platform allows users to quickly align business goals with effective omnichannel engagement strategies, leveraging insights from leading brands in their industry. With Emarsys, marketers can achieve faster time-to-value, deliver exceptional personalized experiences, and achieve measurable results. Emarsys serves marketers globally with a team of over 750 employees, 13 offices worldwide, and a trusted customer base of over 1500 organizations.

WebEngage

WebEngage is a comprehensive user engagement and retention platform that enables businesses to unify customer data, execute effective marketing campaigns, and track performance. Serving as a full-stack marketing automation and customer data platform, the company has gained the trust of over 800 global brands, including notable names like Myntra and Adani. Their mission is to empower businesses to create personalized experiences on a large scale. Starting as a startup in 2011, WebEngage has garnered support from prominent technology investors worldwide, such as Social Capital and Blume Ventures.

Corporate Responsibility

Insider, as a leading company, places utmost importance on safeguarding the privacy of its users and maintaining compliance with data protection regulations. With a strong commitment to data privacy and security, Insider has established itself as a 100% GDPR-compliant organization. This dedication is deeply ingrained in both its technology and corporate culture.

To ensure the secure handling of customer data and interactions, Insider’s platform is built with robust security features and undergoes regular, comprehensive audits. These audits serve as a proactive measure to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities and ensure that customer data remains protected at all times. Insider’s continuous focus on data security is an integral part of its development processes, serving as the foundation for the outstanding performance of its industry-leading technologies.

In terms of access control, Insider’s platform offers granular access rights, allowing users to configure permission levels for different individuals within their organization. This ensures that each user has appropriate access privileges, whether it’s user management, collaboration, editing, or reading. By providing these flexible access controls, Insider enables organizations to manage data access effectively while maintaining a secure environment.

Internally, Insider takes additional measures to safeguard data privacy and security. All employees are required to sign confidentiality agreements before gaining access to the company’s servers, emphasizing the importance of data protection. Insider’s commitment to data security is demonstrated through its comprehensive set of security policies, which are made accessible to employees and contractors.

Additionally, the company conducts thorough third-party security vulnerability assessments using end-to-end, unit, and integration tests. Deployment controls, such as blue-green deployment and change management, are implemented to mitigate risks and ensure a secure production environment. In recognition of Insider’s dedication to data security, the company is pleased to announce the successful completion of the SOC 2 Type 2 examination. This rigorous examination validates the effectiveness of Insider’s data security practices and controls, providing customers with additional confidence in the platform’s ability to protect their data.

Beyond data security, Insider also places a strong emphasis on ethical business conduct and compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations. Insider has implemented a global anti-corruption policy to ensure compliance with laws such as the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the United Kingdom Bribery Act (UKBA). This policy establishes guidelines and procedures that strictly prohibit bribery and corruption in both the public and private sectors. By adhering to this policy, Insider maintains the highest.