AI Startup Insider Will Invest P2.5 Billion in the Philippines After Groundbreaking $500 Million Series E Round

A leading global AI company has committed to investing P2.5 billion in the Philippines over the next three years after securing $500 million in a historic Series E funding round. Turkey-based company  Insider, which bills itself as an AI-native omnichannel experience and customer engagement platform, said it will scale its talent base and geographic footprint in the Philippines by creating 50 jobs by 2027. It also said it will “significantly invest in R&D, accelerate growth, and scale global sales and marketing initiatives across the globe.” 

The company, whose client roster includes such household names like Samsung, Cebu Pacific, Nike, ING Bank, Walt Disney, L’Oreal, and GAP, said the latest funding round was led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth investor. 

Insider said it has identified five major ways it plans to use the fresh funds:

• Invest heavily in AI to deliver against the most ambitious product roadmap in the industry;
• Grow its 350+ in-house engineering team with an additional 200 AI and Machine Learning engineers and data scientists;
• Increase investments in the US following strong demand to accelerate our growth;
• Actively pursue M&A opportunities, focusing on acquiring exceptional product companies that complement our existing technology; and
• Continue to scale global expansion across 28 regions and six continents

Insider became a “unicorn” (a startup with a valuation of at least $1 billion) in 2022 following a $121 million raise. The next year, it followed up by raising $105 million, bring its value up to $2 billion. The company is also part of the Endeavor network of high-impact companies and entrepreneurs. 

The latest funding round is also significant for what Insider says is the single largest funding round received by a woman-founded MarTech unicorn in history.

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“This is an extraordinary milestone not only for Insider, but for the entire technology industry, and the women within it,” said Insider co-founder and CEO Hande Cilingir. “When we started Insider we sought not only to create a product company but to build the world’s most socially progressive technology community. This investment is not just about capital—it’s about recognizing that diverse leadership creates stronger companies, and stronger companies create a better future. At Insider we recognize our responsibility to lead with purpose, empower others, and make sure that rounds like these are not an exception.” 

“Our success lies in consistently delivering unmatched value for our customers, driven by the Insider Advantage—a powerful combination of industry-first technologies, local award-winning customer support, a seamless migration experience, and white-glove onboarding services,” said Insider Regional Managing Director Jack Nguyen. “With the most ambitious product roadmap and AI strategy, Insider is experiencing phenomenal growth, as an increasing number of Filipino brands make the switch to Insider. It is an incredibly exciting time to come on board – both as a client and as a member of the team.”  

“This funding will help accelerate our ambitious product and AI roadmap by growing our 350+ in-house engineering team with an additional 200 AI and Machine Learning engineers and data scientists,” said Muharrem Derinkok, Insider’s co-founder and chief product officer. “Over the next two years, we plan to focus on realizing our vision to build an end-to-end AI-native omnichannel experience and customer engagement platform that compounds promotional, transactional, and support capabilities into a seamless solution powered by an extensive set of channels. Harnessing Generative AI to make user interactions more conversational at every level, we plan to further invest in Sirius AI^. Co-Pilot, which guides teams at every stage of customer journey creation.” 

What is Insider?

Insider is an AI-native Omnichannel Experience and Customer Engagement Platform. It essentially a marketing platform that “brings together best-of-breed and industry-first technologies into one platform.” The company is a leading name in the nascent industry of martech or marketing technology, which included things like software and platforms “to create, execute, manage, orchestrate and measure the performance of online and offline content, campaigns and experiences." 

One of the company’s best-known products is Sirius AI, whose patent is currently pending. Insider says it is “the world’s most comprehensive AI solution for end-to-end omnichannel experience creation…(combining) the transformative power of generative, conversational, and predictive AI to scale teams significantly, increasing productivity, uncovering new revenue opportunities, and unlocking higher levels of profitable growth.”

Insider’s integrated CDP vertically integrates data and marketing application layers to fuel marketing automation and personalized customer journey orchestration across over 12 natively-supported channels, like WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Web, App, Site Search, and others. The company basically helps marketers to efficiently collect, analyze, and predictively use first-party data in real time. As a result, brands accelerate growth, realize higher productivity, maximize ROI, increase customer lifetime value, and create more valuable customer relationships. 

“Firstly, the funds will be used to fuel our AI strategy,” said Cilingir. “Insider has been a leader in AI for more than a decade; so we were in a prime position to incorporate #GenerativeAI natively within our platform. Generative AI will end a prolonged era of scarcity in marketing and customer experience. It will enable teams to tap into endless abundance by multiplying their resources and automating repetitive work. We are on the brink of an AI era that will truly disrupt the martech industry, and Insider will be the disruptive force leading it.

“Secondly, we will further strengthen our unique position in the market as the leading AI-native compound SaaS business,” he added. “Unlike traditional technology companies that focus on a single area or product, our approach has always been to build multiple best-in-breed products, bringing them together in a single platform that outperforms single-point solutions in every way. These two differentiators will boldly set Insider apart as the #1 choice for marketing and customer experience teams.”

“The MarTech industry is benefitting from a secular shift levered to ongoing tailwinds, including the proliferation of data traffic and channels, the growing importance of first-party data, and evolving customer expectations regarding personalized experiences across channels,” said Sascha Guenther, Managing Director and Head of DACH at General Atlantic, commented. “Insider has successfully positioned itself as a leading and dynamic innovator in the B2B SaaS space and delivers tangible ROI to its customers. We believe the company is well placed to capture a greater share of the $15+ billion total addressable market, as businesses race to upgrade their marketing strategies around the world in need for higher marketing efficiency and effectiveness.”