Transcript: Hande Cilingir: [00:00:00] I believe that being an entrepreneur doesn't mean to establish your own startup always. You can become an entrepreneur by writing a blog sometimes, or you can become an entrepreneur by changing something between a bigger organisation … because I believe that real entrepreneurship is all about creating an impact. So anywhere you can create an impact is a point at which you can become an entrepreneur. For example, to me you are an entrepreneur by making these podcasts because you help other entrepreneurs to learn from the others … other CEOs are co-founders. It's a big contribution. We had this kind of big passion to move on with establishing a startup in digital marketing. So this is why we decided to sell our shares and have an exit. And then we started Insider. Stephen Cummins: [00:00:50] Welcome to 14 minutes of SaaS, where we’re still in RISE, Hong Kong … where I interviewed Hande Cilingir, CEO and co-founder of Insider, which hails from Istanbul in Turkey. It's a growth management platform for digital marketers. In this first episode of 3, she talks about her humble background, the influence of her parents, her education and her many international experiences, especially China … some of the foundations for success as an entrepreneur. Insider has grown at a rapid pace since interviewing Hande a few months ago, and now has almost 500 employees in 21 offices on 3 continents. It's currently, at this time of recording, the outright leader in the very competitive G2 grid for mobile marketing software. [00:01:41] Welcome to 14 Minutes of SaaS, the show where you can listen to the stories and opinions of founders of the world's most remarkable SaaS scale-ups. [00:01:59] So today we have Hande Cilingir, who is the CEO and co-founder of Insider here in 14 minutes of SaaS, and we're at Rise, Hong Kong. Great to see you . Hande Cilingir: [00:02:11] Thank you very much. How are you today? Stephen Cummins: [00:02:16] I’m doing grand. It’s been good. I really enjoyed introducing you to the stage today. Amazing panel. Congratulations. Hande Cilingir: [00:02:19] That was a nice intro. So thank you. Stephen Cummins: [00:02:22] Thanks a million. So I'm honoured to be interviewing for the first time somebody from the great nation of Turkey. It's the first time I've interviewed a founder from there. And I’m very interested to know about your and your youth and what it was like up until … let's say you went into the work … Hande Cilingir: [00:02:41] Yeah, sure. Of course. So we are 6 co-founders, and all of those co-founders are coming from very humble backgrounds. Just like myself. I'm the daughter of a housewife, and also an electrician who used to work in the ships. And I became an entrepreneur. To me by the way, it's a bit difficult because when other people ask my mother ‘What is Hande doing?’, it’s a little difficult for her to explain what I am doing for sure. But I think my child is very important for me because it was, I think, one of the triggers that actually helped me to become an entrepreneur. Because my father, an electrician, was a very hardworking man. In order to provide the resources for my sisters and my education, after the retirement he started to, you know, go to the houses to repair anything in the house. So this is how he was actually making money. And I remember the times it was, you know, a very rainy day or an evening, sometimes snowy day … he was having his bicycle and going to the people’s houses to make money and also repair their stuff. So until the age of 68, he used to work. So this is why I can say that I think the mentality of being a hard worker and the mentality of always putting effort into life or to, you know, change something comes from the mentality of my father. [00:04:17] And he wasn't a complainer. And