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§ Private Profile · Istanbul, Turkey
Next-gen market research platform offering AI-driven consumer insights and product sampling for brands and consumers in MENA & UK.
Founded in 2016 by Duygu Akbudak and Barış Yeşilçiçek, Denebunu is a market research platform in Istanbul with a London office that utilizes artificial intelligence and data analytics. The company employs 42 people and serves a user base of over 3 million consumers across the MENA and UK markets, generating approximately 1 million web visits. By offering highly targeted product sampling and behavioral insights, the enterprise provides marketing technology services to more than 300 global brands seeking better advertising strategies. After achieving rapid growth in 2020 amid increased digital investments, the platform was listed among the top ten startups in Turkey by LinkedIn in 2022. To support its international expansion, the startup secured a total of TL 6.5 million in funding, with Maxis Innovative Venture Capital Investment Fund acting as the lead investor.
denebunu.com has raised $3.2M across 3 funding rounds.
denebunu.com has raised $3.2M in total across 3 funding rounds.
denebunu.com has raised $3.2M in total across 3 funding rounds.
denebunu.com's investors include Uğur Mutluhan Oruncak, Mustafa Keçeli, Sanem Tatlıdil Özal, Maxis, Hummingbird Ventures.
Denebunu is a technology company founded in 2016 that operates a data-driven platform combining product sampling, consumer ratings/reviews, and AI-powered market research analytics.[1][2][3][4] It enables consumers—primarily in Turkey, MENA, and the UK—to try free product samples from over 1,000 global brands, share feedback via one of the largest ratings platforms, and helps brands leverage first-party data from 3+ million users and 500+ million data points for real-time consumer insights.[2][3][4] With 38-42 employees, offices in Istanbul and London, and recognition as a top 10 startup in LinkedIn's Best Startups 2022 Turkey list, Denebunu generates under $5 million in revenue while serving the consumer goods, e-commerce, and advertising sectors through subsidiaries like UK-based Samplico and SaaS platform Sorbunu.[2][3][4]
The platform solves key pain points for brands by providing targeted product testing, authentic user-generated content (UGC), and actionable analytics amid declining third-party cookies, while empowering consumers with better purchase decisions through free trials and reviews.[1][2][4] It has achieved nearly 4 million users and 1 million web visits, demonstrating strong growth momentum, including a recent $1.8 million investment led by Eksim Ventures to fuel international expansion.[4]
Denebunu was co-founded in 2016 by Duygu Akbudak (also referred to as Duygu Özgün), who serves as CEO, and Barış Yeşilçiçek, starting in Istanbul, Turkey.[2][4] The idea emerged to bridge brands and consumers via free product trials ("Dene Bunu" translates to "Try This" in Turkish), evolving from a simple sampling service into an AI-driven market research powerhouse as data accumulated.[1][3][4] Early traction came from rapid user growth to nearly 4 million, partnerships with 1,000+ brands, and amassing 500 million data points, which propelled its listing among Turkey's top 10 startups in 2022.[2][4] Pivotal moments include launching the UK subsidiary Samplico, the hyper-fast SaaS research platform Sorbunu in 2023, and securing $1.8 million in funding in early 2024 to scale globally.[4]
Denebunu rides the first-party data and UGC wave in a post-third-party cookie era, where brands seek compliant, high-quality consumer insights amid privacy regulations like GDPR.[2][3] Its timing aligns with surging demand for authentic feedback in e-commerce and consumer goods, accelerated by AI advancements enabling real-time analytics from massive datasets.[1][4] Market forces favoring it include MENA/UK growth in digital adoption, e-commerce boom (11,250+ related firms tracked), and shift to sampling for conversion optimization.[2][4] By influencing the ecosystem through 1,000+ brand partnerships and tools like Sorbunu/Samplico, it democratizes research for SMEs while elevating UGC standards, potentially reshaping how global CPG firms engage emerging markets.[4]
Denebunu's $1.8M raise signals aggressive expansion of Samplico in the UK and Sorbunu globally, targeting harder-to-reach audiences with hyper-fast, data-rich research.[4] Trends like AI ethics, zero-party data mandates, and Web3 UGC will shape its path, amplifying its edge in privacy-first marketing. Its influence could evolve from regional disruptor to global leader in consumer intelligence, solidifying the consumer-brand connection that defined its Turkish origins—unleashing first-party data's full power at scale.[2][4]
denebunu.com has raised $3.2M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $1.8M Pre-Series A in February 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 2024 | $1.8M Seed Plus | Uğur Mutluhan Oruncak | Mustafa Keçeli, Sanem Tatlıdil Özal, Maxis | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2020 | $880K Seed | — | Hummingbird Ventures | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2018 | $500K Seed | — | Hummingbird Ventures | Announced |