91探花

Tugce Bulut is the CEO and founder of Streetbees, the global intelligence platform founded in 2015 that allows customers to gather data and insights from people and communities around the world. We caught up with Tugce to learn more about her story and startup, which she describes as consumer-centric, disruptive and limitless.

Who Is Tugce Bulut?

I鈥檓 hugely passionate about the power of data and the positive change it can bring to the world. I鈥檓 a Master鈥檚 graduate from the University of Cambridge, specialising in poverty alleviation and global living standards, I wanted to better understand people and improve the lives of those around the world.

As a founder of a startup, you don鈥檛 get a lot of free time but I think it鈥檚 important to take a step back and switch off 鈥� even if it鈥檚 only for a little while. I love exploring my creative side, particularly through art, being able to zone-out and focus purely on the canvas is an incredible stress reliever.

I鈥檓 also a keen reader 鈥� it鈥檚 a fantastic way to learn and expand the way you think about the world. That鈥檚 why I always give books as gifts for Christmas to friends, family and colleagues. Whenever I come across something that really stays with me like 鈥淭he Hard Thing About Hard Things鈥� by Ben Horowitz or 鈥淏link: The power of thinking without thinking鈥� by Malcolm Gladwell want to share it with others and get their thoughts on it.

How Did You End Up Founding Streetbees?

As a consultant, I used to help the world鈥檚 largest companies launch new products in developing markets. But one issue kept cropping up: we couldn鈥檛 find data that we trusted, because existing market research solutions weren鈥檛 good enough.

This situation didn鈥檛 make sense to me. There were millions of people in these markets, all already interacting with goods and services, who would share information with us if we asked them to. Then, we鈥檇 have a huge amount of rich data that would really allow us to understand how people lived and behaved, and we could make accurate decisions about what choices they鈥檇 make.

At the time, every research company said the idea was either impossible or ridiculously expensive. So, in 2015, I started Streetbees looking to create a solution that would collect real stories from people, including photo and video content, and let brands access the detail within people鈥檚 lives.

Instead of relying on how people claim they behave, we capture actual moments in people鈥檚 lives through in-app conversations, photos and videos. By applying machine learning and advanced natural language processing technology to the data, Streetbees uncovers not just what people do, but also why they do it, and what drives them 鈥� and predicts what they may do next.

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far? And Your Biggest Achievement?

At the very beginning, we were growing so fast that our hiring processes weren鈥檛 as developed as they are now. As a result, we brought in a few people who weren鈥檛 a good cultural fit.

We were hiring the wrong people because we hadn鈥檛 yet defined our values and weren鈥檛 able to translate or integrate them into the interview process. You can鈥檛 just rewire someone鈥檚 values to match those of the company if they are fundamentally misaligned. This is why we integrate these values into every aspect of the business 鈥� including interviews 鈥� to make sure everyone is working towards the same goals.

Of course, this has been particularly important while hiring and onboarding team members remotely as we鈥檝e had to do due to the current pandemic. But thankfully, because our process is now so well defined, it鈥檚 proving far more seamless than we expected. Our biggest success is the team 鈥� I couldn鈥檛 be prouder of what we鈥檝e built together. Last year we were recognised for multiple awards, including the Deloitte Fast 50, the Digital Top 50, The British Business Awards, etc, and that wouldn鈥檛 be the case if it weren鈥檛 for the people I work with.

This year, despite the difficult situation COVID has caused for us all, Streetbees has actually increased its revenue by over 110% from January to June 2020, and we鈥檙e even hiring for dozens of new roles across North America and London. Let鈥檚 be honest, this isn鈥檛 something many startups are in a position to do right now.

Your Thoughts On Being A Female Founder And CEO In 2020鈥�

There are no such things as 鈥渇emale鈥� or 鈥渕ale鈥� entrepreneurs, you are simply an entrepreneur but the reality is that there鈥檚 still a distinct lack of diversity among c-level positions in business, particularly tech. And that鈥檚 not just gender, but everything. Currently, only about 3% of global VC investment goes to female-founded start-ups 鈥� yes, it鈥檚 fantastic to be one of them, but I don鈥檛 want to be one of only 3%, I want to be one of many. Because my success in business has nothing to do with my gender 鈥� or my age, race or sexuality.

That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 involved in a number of initiatives, including the Female Founders Forum and the Entrepreneurs Network to raise awareness and mentor future business leaders. Just think of what the world would look like if everyone was given the opportunity to explore their entrepreneurial potential!

Streetbees Has Been Recognised As One Of The Most Gender And Culturally-Diverse Businesses in London鈥� How Can Companies Turn Diversity Among Teams Into Their Top Priority?

If you鈥檙e building an international business, cultural diversity isn鈥檛 just important it鈥檚 essential. Our team is full of different backgrounds, races and religions roughly 100 people strong now and still growing. We have offices in London, Lisbon and New York and are continuing to expand but we also have a number of highly-skilled remote workers around the world.

How can you expect to understand consumers from more than 150 countries if you don鈥檛 understand those cultures? I鈥檓 a British Citizen, but I鈥檓 Turkish-born, and my co-founder is Australian, and even our first hires were from three different countries we needed languages and cultural diversity. For diversity to be a priority, it must be ingrained in the company鈥檚 culture by creating an environment where people of all backgrounds want to work with us, are able to do what they do to the best of their abilities, and are treated as a valued member of our team.

What鈥檚 The Most Invaluable Thing You鈥檝e Learned In Your Journey As A Founder And CEO?

To always keep your eye on the opportunities and what COULD happen, not just what IS happening. Even in times of crisis like the current pandemic or slump, remember that the next big win is always just around the corner and to never stop looking for it.