“You either win or you learn” — this is the motto guiding UserGuiding’s Co-founder and CEO Osman Koç. Speaking to Venture Vibe, Koç shared the startup’s global story spanning from San Francisco to Brazil, its investment journey, and future ambitions.
From Idea to Global Player
A graduate of Boğaziçi University’s Business Administration program, Osman Koç began his entrepreneurial journey running a software development company.
Repeated onboarding and product adoption challenges across different projects pushed the team to focus in this area.
“We set out to solve our own problem, but soon realized the market had a huge gap as well.”
Founded in the last quarter of 2017, UserGuiding quickly became a SaaS solution reaching global audiences, enabling users to create product guides, announcements, and help content — all without writing code.
Globalization Starts on Day One
According to Koç, globalization begins before the product development stage.
By using English across all communication channels from day one and launching on Product Hunt, the team made an early and impactful entrance into the global scene.
The true turning point came with their AppSumo campaign:
In just two weeks, companies from over 100 countries — totaling 3,000 clients — purchased UserGuiding’s lifetime package.
“From Pakistan to Tajikistan, we reached markets that we would normally never enter — all within a few weeks.”
AppSumo Brings Investor Confidence
Initially struggling to secure funding, the team saw investor interest surge after the AppSumo campaign boosted user numbers and brought in positive feedback.
They first closed a pre-seed round, followed by a seed round within 11 months.
Team and Remote Work Experience
UserGuiding transitioned to a remote work model months before Covid-19 hit.
The team first expanded to different cities in Turkey, then brought in members from Brazil — a move that shifted the company’s working language entirely to English.
“In an office, 8 out of 10 great hires might be enough — but in remote work, you need 10 out of 10 right hires.”
Golden Advice for Entrepreneurs
Koç shares three core recommendations for young founders:
New Goal: Mid-to-Large Enterprises
UserGuiding now aims to serve mid- and large-sized companies rather than early-stage startups.
Having completed new pricing, positioning, and corporate certification processes, the company is preparing for major client deals — referred to internally as “dream logos.”
“We’re very excited for the second half of the year; we’re entering the right customer segment with strength.”
Final Word
Osman Koç sums up his entrepreneurial philosophy:
“You either win or you learn. Saying ‘I learned’ instead of ‘I wish’ is far healthier.”
As one of Turkey’s successful SaaS startups, UserGuiding looks set to make an even bigger mark on the global stage.