Cem Hurturk
About

Cem Hurturk

Portrait of Cem Hurturk

I started doing business on the internet in 1998, when the internet in Turkey was still new. My first project was TicaretMerkezi, a directory that helped Turkish small businesses get found online.

In 1999 I sent 20 to 30 cold emails to company owners abroad. One replied, from Hong Kong, and asked me to build a bulk email tool. I rebuilt that tool from scratch and launched it in 2000 as Octeth. It is still my flagship product.

In 2008 my brother Mert and I founded Sendloop, a cloud email marketing platform for small businesses. In 2013 SMTP, Inc. acquired PreviewMyEmail, my first exit. In 2015 a group of investors joined Sendloop as minority shareholders, and in 2020 I became its sole owner again.

That same year I founded Kayra, a portfolio company that acquires and builds small software products. AI tools have changed how fast I can ship. DemoPolish went from idea to launch in five days.

What “slowly and on purpose” means

My products are bootstrapped and self-funded from day one. No venture capital, no board. I make many small bets instead of one big one, and I keep the ones that work. Octeth and Sendloop started as small bets too. That independence lets me say no to bad deals and decide based on what I believe, not on what a cap table requires.

I write a weekly essay about building companies and about the life around the work: focus, routines, and letting go of what doesn't matter. 28 Years on the Internet tells the longer version of this story.

Read the essaysGet in touch

Companies

50SAAS LLC

Co-founder

Home of my email marketing products: Octeth, Sendloop, and Cleanify.

KAYRA LLC

Founder · 2020

A portfolio of acquired and newly built products, from DemoPolish and TraceRank to browser games.

See all products

Timeline

What I've built, sold, and bought since 1998. Turning points are highlighted.

  1. 1998

    Founded TicaretMerkezi

    A directory that helped Turkish small businesses get found online. It was covered on TV and in magazines.

  2. 1999

    First software sale

    One reply to 20 to 30 cold emails led to a bulk email tool for a client in Hong Kong.

  3. 2000

    Launched Octeth

    The bulk email tool, rebuilt from scratch as on-premise email marketing software.

  4. 2001Founded RemotelyDisplay. Remote presentation software.

  5. 2002Founded KeepSecured. Guard any website page.

  6. 2003Octeth v3 released.

  7. 2004Founded Site Security. Security and member management system for websites.

  8. 2005Founded FeedbackMan. User feedback gathering tool.

  9. 2006Founded InnovativeHelpDesk. Self-hosted support desk software.

  10. 2008

    Co-founded Sendloop

    A cloud email marketing platform for small businesses, started with my brother Mert.

  11. 2008Launched PreviewMyEmail. Real-time inbox preview tool for ESPs.

  12. 2009Octeth v4 released.

  13. 2010Founded MetricsHQ.

  14. 2013

    First exit

    SMTP, Inc. acquired PreviewMyEmail.

  15. 2015Outside investment in Sendloop. A group of investors bought a minority stake.

  16. 2015Sendloop Studio released. Built for digital agencies.

  17. 2016Founded Cleanify. Email list verification tool.

  18. 2017Founded ReferralMagic. Referral tracking service. It reached #1 on Product Hunt.

  19. 2019Octeth v5 released.

  20. 2020Sole owner of Sendloop again.

  21. 2020

    Founded Kayra

    A portfolio company that acquires and builds small software products.

  22. 2022–2025Kayra acquisitions. Acquired ClickMonk, LaunchMailbox, QuickTests, TraceRank, and ContactWidget.

  23. 2026

    Founded DemoPolish

    Built in five days, from idea to launch.

  24. 2026A run of new products. Built SaasForecast, DropDuel, MicroSweep, FeltKings, InvoiceVault, Coffee Break Snake, BatteryInfo, Lyraflow, Operation Line, and Nest Days.