Bolt Insight is an AI-powered qualitative market research platform that uses automated, conversational chatbots to conduct in-depth interviews with multiple consumers simultaneously, delivering insights and reports within 24 hours. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Bolt Insight co-founder and CEO Hakan Yurdakul to learn more.
Hakan Yurdakul’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Yurdakul said:
“Before launching Bolt Insight, I led global consumer research projects at one of the world’s largest FMCG companies for 15 years. My work spanned everything from product development to brand strategy, and I saw first-hand the growing pressure to deliver faster insights without losing the human nuance that makes qualitative research so powerful.”
“I left to build the platform I wish I’d had, something that could combine the richness of qual with the agility of tech.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Yurdakul shared:
“The original idea behind Bolt Insight, when we launched in 2019, was to give businesses a seat next to their consumers, to help them build empathy and make better, more informed decisions.”
“We then launched BoltChatAI to scale that vision through AI-moderated qualitative research. We believed AI could do more than just automate, it could fundamentally change how researchers explore, learn, and act on insight.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Yurdakul reflected:
“One of my favorite moments was going back into Unilever, not as an employee, but as a research partner. Having once led insight projects on the client side, it was surreal and genuinely rewarding to return with a solution we’d built from the ground up and see it being used by teams I used to work alongside.”
“That full-circle moment really hit home just how far we’ve come and why we started in the first place.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Yurdakul explained:
“BoltChatAI is our flagship piece. It’s an AI-powered qualitative research platform that runs dynamic, real-time conversations at scale.”
“It supports multi-media response capture, auto-generates summaries and themes, builds dynamic personas from real data and offers UX testing, meta-analysis and more. Everything is designed to turn raw human input into fast, clear, decision-ready insight.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector recently? Yurdakul acknowledged:
“As AI becomes more mainstream, so too do the dangers of misuse.”
“At BoltChatAI, we’ve built ethics into the foundation of our platform. Our AI Moderator is designed specifically for qualitative research, trained on our own research data, never client projects. All respondents know when they’re speaking to AI and clients retain full control and authority over their data.”
“By combining rigorous privacy safeguards with active human oversight, we ensure our technology is not only powerful, but also responsible. I suppose like Uncle Ben said in Spider-Man, with great power comes great responsibility!”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Yurdakul noted:
“When we first launched BoltChatAI, it wasn’t AI-powered…it was just BoltChat! It was a consumer connection tool, a way for brands to have direct, human conversations with their audience. The turning point came after we trained our AI Moderator on thousands of real interviews and launched it into the platform.”
“Since then, we’ve added tools that let you create evolving consumer personas from real data, compare insights across time and markets, run UX testing, collect video, voice and image responses, and automatically ask smarter follow-up questions in real time.”
“We now support over 50 countries and 25 languages. It’s honestly quite cool to take a step back and see just how far it’s come and how the team has grown over time.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Yurdakul cited:
“If we throw it back to the start of BoltChatAI, one of our most significant milestones was being the first AI-moderated qualitative research platform to market. That early start gave us a chance to shape not just the tech, but the standards that we believe should define this space. Now there are multiple solutions on the market, but in my opinion competition is always healthy.”
“This year has also had some real highlights. We’ve been nominated for three separate industry awards from the Market Research Society and ESOMAR, which is an incredible endorsement of the innovation and impact behind BoltChatAI.”
“To date, we have over 100 brand-side clients in 20 different countries using our platform. Our research has been spread over 90 different countries and we have run over 5,000,000 interviews across multiple categories!”
“We’re trusted by some of the world’s biggest consumer brands across sectors like FMCG, tech, healthcare and financial services. Seeing our platform used to make strategic decisions at that level is a testament to the hard work that has gone into it!”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Yurdakul highlighted:
“Absolutely, a great example is our work with Haleon, the world-leading consumer health company behind brands like Sensodyne, Aquafresh and Polident.”
“Their team wanted to uncover opportunities in the Indian oral care market, but like many brands, they faced tight time and budget constraints. By using BoltChatAI, Haleon was able to run in-depth qualitative interviews with Indian consumers, all targeted, moderated and analysed by our AI Moderator.”
“Once the report was delivered and the insights were actioned, Jiwon, their Head of APAC Digital Analytics, said ‘We saved 21 days and 87% in cost – on agency communication around project setup, execution and reporting.’”
“But more importantly, the insights helped them identify purchase drivers, price sensitivities and barriers in the market, fuelling their future strategy across the region.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Yurdakul revealed:
“I can mention a bit about it but not the full scoop. We’re a privately held business with sustainable growth and global reach. While we don’t disclose exact revenue figures, I can say we’ve scaled profitably and reinvest continuously into platform innovation and client support.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Yurdakul assessed:
“Well, the global insights market has a value of over $140 billion, with $2.5 billion of that falling under AI Interviews, which has been doubling year on year.”
“But the truth is, we’re not just playing in one space. BoltChatAI sits in between qual, AI and insight platforms. That means our reach spans multiple high-growth categories.”
“Do we want a big slice of that? Absolutely. But there’s plenty to go around. What excites us is that demand isn’t just growing, it’s evolving. Clients want more flexibility, faster turnaround and richer insight, and we’re building to meet that need not just today, but for where the market’s headed next.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Yurdakul affirmed:
“Two things jump to my mind for this… Firstly, BoltChatAI’s AI Moderator actually moderates, it doesn’t just collect answers, it probes deeper, adapts in real time and understands the context of a conversation. It guides the interview like a skilled human moderator.”
“And behind the tech is an unmatched team with deep research expertise. Many of us come from brand-side roles, global agencies, FMCG giants or consulting firms, and have years of hands-on research experience. That means we understand the challenges first-hand and build with researchers, for researchers.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Yurdakul emphasized:
“Our goal is to be the go-to insight layer for modern decision-makers, wherever and however they work.”
“We recently launched Dynamic Personas and Meta-Analysis, but we want to go even further. We want BoltChatAI to be a must for any team, more than just a platform, almost like your Chief Insights Officer.”
“We’re also expanding our global footprint, with local teams around the world to ensure our research is always culturally relevant and strategically actionable, no matter the timezone.”
“And at a broader level, we want to keep pushing the industry forward. Whether that’s through smarter use of AI, more inclusive research design or ethical innovation, we’re committed to leading the way.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Yurdakul concluded:
“ I would like to talk about one thing I get asked a lot at conferences I go to. AI will reshape research, but it won’t remove the human touch. We’re not just building tech, we’re shaping a more curious, inclusive and adaptive way to understand people.”
“That’s the future we believe in. AI is not here to replace, it is here to push us forward. What use is the world’s fastest car without a driver?”
