Duygu was born and raised in Izmir. She received her Bachelor’s in Science in Software Engineering from the Izmir University of Economics.
After her graduation, Duygu worked as a business analyst in Istanbul for a global airline solution IT company. She moved overseas to Seattle, where she would stay for over eight years working and studying for her MBA from the University of Seattle. Duygu then spent 6 years working at a leading investment solutions company where she held various roles, including serving as the Senior Operations Analyst for Investment Operations.