Insider Raises Funds To Accelerate Acquisition Of ME Companies

Insider, a marketing platform for delivering individualised, cross-channel customer experiences, announced an investment of up to $105 million from existing investors, QIA — whose portfolio of companies includes Volkswagen and Barclays — and Esas Private Equity. With the latest investment, Sequoia-backed, Insider’s total funding amount reaches $274 million.

The move will substantially benefit the company’s operations in MEA & India, specifically helping its customers, which include the region’s best-loved brands like, Samsung, Arab National Bank, and Vogacloset to reach customer experience excellence.

“This injection of $105 million dollars is designated for the acquisition of companies in United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, India, Pakistan and further afield. It will be a game-changer for us, especially since MEA is one of our most strategic markets,” said Ajish Pillai, Commercial Director based in Insider’s Dubai office.

“This investment opens up countless opportunities for strategic acquisitions right here in MEA & India, and we are actively looking to hire the best local talent the industry has to offer, as we grow our team and create more jobs. With this substantial financial backing, we can fuel product innovation by acquiring companies with industry-leading solutions, to help marketing and ecommerce leaders, drive more value and growth from their customer experience initiatives.”

Insider CEO and Co-Founder, Hande Cilingir, said, “At Insider, we have successfully achieved hyper-growth via organic means, until now. Now, we are looking to achieve unparalleled levels of growth with an M&A-focused strategy. These funds will be used exclusively for the purpose of acquiring exceptional product companies in MEA, including United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, India to further complement our technology and create product synergies. Unlike our $121 million Series D investment in 2022, which has bolstered our capital reserves for operational spending in the coming years, this latest round will specifically serve to fuel inorganic growth through M&A.”

“The response from the market, and our customers, following Insider’s acquisition of MindBehind, earlier this year, has increased our appetite to explore further opportunities to acquire unique organisations with industry-first technologies to better serve our customers, drive more value, and source innovative solutions to marketers’ biggest frustrations and challenges.”