Startups > CleverTap

CleverTap

CleverTap helps digital brands increase user retention through data-driven engagement automation.

Series D $182M–$303M total Founded 2013 Mountain View, California 484 employees

CleverTap is a customer engagement and retention platform that combines product analytics, user segmentation, and campaign automation into a single system. It tracks user behavior across mobile and web, segments audiences based on actions and attributes, and automates targeted campaigns across multiple channels. Trusted by 1,200 companies including Gojek, EA, and AirAsia, CleverTap helps digital brands maximize user lifetime value by turning behavioral data into retention-focused actions.

Problem solved

Rising user acquisition costs make retention the most efficient growth lever, but teams lack integrated tools to analyze behavior, segment users, and automate personalized engagement across channels.

Target customer

Growth, product, and marketing teams at mobile-first and digital-native companies (apps, fintech, e-commerce, media) with 100K+ monthly active users seeking to improve retention and lifetime value.

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase

Founders

Sunil Thomas

Co-Founder, CEO & Executive Chairman

30+ years in technology and business; held C-suite roles at Infospace, Network18, Microsoft, and HP before co-founding CleverTap in 2013.

Suresh Kondamudi

Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer

18+ years building large-scale, high-performance systems; previously Chief Architect at Network18 leading event-stream processing and ad-engine infrastructure.

Anand Jain

Co-Founder

Co-founder who came from Network18 background.

Funding history

Seed $1.9M July 2014 Led by Accel · Unknown

Series A $8M August 2015 Led by Accel, Sequoia Capital · Unknown

Series B $26M April 2019 Led by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management · Accel

Series C $35M October 2019 Led by Sequoia Capital · Tiger Global, Accel

Series D $105M August 2022 Led by CDPQ · IIFL AMC Tech Fund, Tiger Global, Sequoia India

Total raised: $182M–$303M

Industries

Marketing Automation Analytics Mobile Real Time SaaS

Pricing

Tiered subscription model based on monthly active users (MAU) and feature set. Quote-based pricing with no public starter tier. Enterprise custom pricing available. Startup programs offer discounted access or credits for early-stage companies.

Notable customers

Gojek, ShopX, Canon, Electronic Arts, TED, English Premier League, TD Bank, Carousell, AirAsia, Papa John's, Tesco, Picsart, BeBlue

Website

clevertap.com/

Competitors

Amplitude

Stronger focus on product analytics; less native marketing automation and campaign orchestration.

Mixpanel

Product analytics-first platform; less comprehensive segmentation and multi-channel campaign capabilities.

Braze

Broader customer engagement platform; heavier on email and push; less integrated product analytics.

mParticle

Customer data platform focused on data unification; less campaign automation and engagement tooling.

Why this matters: CleverTap stands out as one of Asia's most-funded B2B SaaS companies (raising $182M–$303M) and dominates the user engagement and retention space for mobile-first and digital brands globally. Its integration of analytics, segmentation, and automation in a single platform addresses the core problem of rising acquisition costs, making it particularly relevant for growth-focused companies.

Best for: Mobile-first and digital brands (apps, fintech, e-commerce, gaming, media) needing unified analytics, segmentation, and campaign automation to drive user retention and lifetime value.

Use cases

Mobile App Engagement & Retention

App teams use CleverTap to track in-app events, segment users by behavior (e.g., churning users, power users), and trigger automated campaigns (push, in-app messaging) to re-engage or upsell. Example: Gaming apps identify inactive users and send personalized incentives to return.

Fintech Onboarding & Activation

Fintech companies track signup completion, account verification, and first transaction milestones, then segment new users into activation journeys. CleverTap automates onboarding sequences and follow-ups based on user progress.

E-commerce Retention Campaigns

E-commerce platforms track purchase behavior and product views, then segment repeat vs. one-time buyers. Automated campaigns target repeat purchase windows, personalized product recommendations, and loyalty program engagement.

Premium Upsell & Cross-Sell

Subscription and freemium apps use CleverTap to identify users ready for upsell based on feature usage and engagement patterns, then automate targeted in-app or email campaigns to drive conversion to paid tiers.

Alternatives

Amplitude Pick Amplitude if you prioritize deep product analytics and self-serve reporting over native campaign orchestration.

Braze Pick Braze if you need broader multi-channel engagement (email, SMS, web push) and less emphasis on in-app behavioral analytics.

Mixpanel Pick Mixpanel if your primary need is product analytics and behavioral cohorts without integrated campaign automation.

mParticle Pick mParticle if you need a CDP for data unification and forwarding to multiple destinations rather than native engagement tooling.

FAQ

What does CleverTap do? +

CleverTap is a customer engagement and retention platform that combines product analytics, user segmentation, and campaign automation. It tracks user behavior across mobile and web apps, builds audience cohorts based on actions and attributes, and automates targeted campaigns across push, in-app messaging, and other channels. The goal is to help teams increase user retention and lifetime value.

How much does CleverTap cost? +

CleverTap uses tiered subscription pricing based on monthly active users (MAU) and feature set. Pricing is quote-based and not published; contact CleverTap for a custom quote. The company often offers discounted access or credits for early-stage startups through accelerator programs.

What are alternatives to CleverTap? +

Top alternatives include Amplitude (product analytics-focused), Braze (broader engagement platform with email and SMS), Mixpanel (analytics and cohorts), and mParticle (customer data platform). Choose based on whether your priority is analytics depth, multi-channel engagement, or data unification.

Who uses CleverTap? +

1,200+ companies across 100 countries use CleverTap, including Gojek, Electronic Arts, AirAsia, TD Bank, Canon, Carousell, Picsart, and BeBlue. Target customers are growth, product, and marketing teams at mobile-first digital brands (apps, fintech, e-commerce, gaming, media) with significant user bases.

How does CleverTap compare to Braze? +

CleverTap is stronger in integrated product analytics and behavior tracking; Braze is broader in multi-channel engagement (email, SMS, web push) and less focused on in-app analytics. Choose CleverTap if analytics and mobile engagement are primary; choose Braze if you need enterprise-scale multi-channel orchestration.