# Hande Cilingir

> Hande Cilingir is the Turkish co-founder and CEO of Insider One, an agentic customer-engagement software company that grew from a single-room home office into a global business serving more than 2,000 customers. After building and selling an education venture, she and five co-founders launched Insider in 2012, expanded first through Europe and Asia, reached unicorn status in 2022, raised a $500 million Series E in 2024, and acquired U.S. retail-technology company Bluecore in 2026.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Insider One
- **Organizations:** Insider One, English & More, Endeavor
- **From:** Bursa, Turkey
- **Nationality:** Turkish
- **Education:** BSc, Economics and Management, London School of Economics and Political Science, Master's studies in International Chinese and Culture, Shanghai Normal University
- **Known for:** Built Insider One into a business serving more than 2,000 customers in over 30 countries with more than 1,500 employees., Led a $500 million Series E in 2024, bringing company-reported total funding to $775 million., Led Insider to unicorn status in 2022 at a $1.22 billion valuation.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Received a JCI Turkey social project award for BilgiAid, a student-led education initiative.
- **2007-2008** — Studied at Shanghai Normal University and worked in China, gaining experience in investment and international business.
- **c. 2009** — Co-founded English & More in Fethiye with Serhat Soyuerel; the education venture later served thousands of students from 28 countries and was sold.
- **2012** — Co-founded Insider with Serhat Soyuerel, Mehmet Sinan Toktay, Arda Koterin, Muharrem Derinkok, and Okan Yedibela.
- **2014** — Selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur.
- **2016** — Insider raised a $2.2 million Series A.
- **2018** — Insider raised an $11 million Series B led by Sequoia India.
- **2020** — Insider raised a $32 million Series C led by Riverwood Capital and accelerated U.S. expansion.
- **2022** — Insider reached a $1.22 billion valuation after a $121 million Series D led by QIA.
- **2024** — General Atlantic led Insider's $500 million Series E to fund AI development, U.S. growth, and acquisitions.
- **2025** — Endeavor named Cilingir among its Outlier Entrepreneurs.
- **2026** — Insider One acquired Bluecore, adding its identity and behavioral data infrastructure and more than 400 U.S. retail brands.

## Achievements

- Built Insider One into a business serving more than 2,000 customers in over 30 countries with more than 1,500 employees.
- Led a $500 million Series E in 2024, bringing company-reported total funding to $775 million.
- Led Insider to unicorn status in 2022 at a $1.22 billion valuation.
- Completed the acquisition of U.S. retail technology company Bluecore in 2026.
- Selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2014 and recognized as an Endeavor Outlier in 2025.
- Named one of three winners of Endeavor's 2020 Lindas award.
- Built a senior executive team in which women hold 70% of roles, according to Insider One.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Insider One introduced Agent One, a self-optimizing system for autonomous customer engagement.
- **2026-05** — Insider One acquired U.S.-based retail technology company Bluecore, its first major transaction following the Series E.
- **2025-12** — The company adopted the Insider One name to emphasize its unified customer-engagement platform strategy.
- **2025-04** — Cilingir appeared on Bloomberg HT's Kadın Dediğin interview program.
- **2024-11** — Insider announced a $500 million Series E led by General Atlantic for AI, U.S. expansion, and M&A.

## Links

- Website: https://insiderone.com/hande-cilingir-bio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hande-cilingir/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsiderOneHQ

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/hande-cilingir
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27