Wellbees
Istanbul-founded employee wellbeing platform offering challenges, expert support and wellbeing programmes to large employers. It raised a USD 3.6M Series A led by Qatar Development Bank in June 2026 to expand in the Gulf.
Industry: Employee wellbeing software | Location: Istanbul, Turkey | Founded: 2013 | Total Funding: USD 5.8M
About Wellbees
Wellbees is an enterprise-focused, AI-powered employee wellbeing platform. Turkish business media describe it as a company founded in Türkiye and led by chief executive Melis Abacıoğlu; CB Insights lists Istanbul as its base and 2013 as its founding year, although one Gulf outlet gives 2021. The platform targets large employers and covers a broad range of wellbeing dimensions: physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, occupational, environmental, intellectual and spiritual. It bundles expert consultations, habit tracking, exercise, meditation, sleep and mood monitoring, employee challenges and analytics, and the pitch to employers is that wellbeing becomes measurable, giving HR departments data on how staff are doing. The company says it supports organisations in more than 100 countries and 38 languages, and already has operations in the UAE, UK, US and Türkiye. A Turkish profile published in 2025 cited company figures of more than 250,000 employees served, with roughly half of revenue coming from abroad. Funding began with a seed round of about USD 2.2 million in May 2022, led by Istanbul-based venture firm 212, with Doha Tech Angels among the investors. In April 2024 Sabancı Ventures led a bridge round, reported at USD 1 million, with 212, Enocta and angel investors taking part. In June 2026 Wellbees announced a USD 3.6 million Series A led by Qatar Development Bank (QDB). Other participants were 212, A-typical Ventures, Arya VC, SABAH.fund and Sharks & Partners, alongside continued backing from Sabancı Ventures and several angel investors. QDB is a state-backed institution whose mandate is to grow and diversify Qatar's economy, and by leading the round it is bringing Wellbees into Qatar's ecosystem; the company is opening a new office there. The new capital will fund the buildout of a regional team across Gulf markets, along with further investment in software, product development and AI capabilities. The expansion is framed as aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030. Abacıoğlu described the current environment as an era of polycrises in which uncertainty has become permanent, a backdrop that is pushing employers toward personalised, measurable wellbeing tools. The raise fits a wider Gulf pattern of governments investing in workforce development and treating human capital as a strategic asset, using sovereign-linked capital to bring in tools and talent for national visions.
Leadership
- Melis Abacıoğlu, Chief executive and co-founder
- Melis Abacıoğlu, Chief executive and co-founder
- Seçil Gürcüoğlu Mercan, Chief Operating Officer
- Kerem Gönülkırmaz, Chief Technology Officer