CleverTap

CleverTap is a customer engagement, retention, and marketing technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its platform is designed primarily for business-to-consumer brands that need to understand user behavior, segment audiences, automate communications, and deliver personalized experiences across digital channels. The company positions its technology around contextual engagement: rather than treating every customer identically, it uses behavioral and transactional data to help brands determine who should receive a message, what the message should contain, and when it should be delivered. The company was founded in May 2013 under the name WizRocket by Sunil Thomas, Suresh Kondamudi, and Anand Jain, who had previously worked together at Network18. Its early focus was on building technology for mobile engagement and user retention. The company privately introduced its flagship product in September 2015 and made it publicly available three months later. Around the public launch, WizRocket adopted the CleverTap name, establishing the brand used today. CleverTap's capabilities span mobile marketing automation, customer analytics, audience segmentation, campaign orchestration, personalization, and retention management. These tools are intended for organizations with large or frequently changing consumer user bases, including digital services and other B2C businesses. Typical use cases include onboarding, activation, abandoned-action reminders, repeat purchasing, subscription retention, re-engagement, lifecycle messaging, and experimentation with customer journeys. The platform's role is broader than a basic message-delivery service because it combines behavioral data and campaign execution in a single customer engagement environment. The business expanded through venture financing and acquisitions. It raised early funding from Accel in 2014 and subsequently attracted investment from Accel, Sequoia Capital, Recruit Holdings-related investment entities, Tiger Global Management, CDPQ, and other investors. In 2021, CleverTap acquired Patch, a mobile technology startup. In 2022, it acquired Leanplum, a mobile marketing company with Bulgarian origins and a San Francisco base. The Leanplum transaction expanded CleverTap's product and customer capabilities, and the company stated that its customer base reached approximately 1,200 following the acquisition. In 2025, CleverTap acquired rehook.ai, a loyalty-program technology startup backed by Y Combinator. Leadership has included co-founder Sunil Thomas and Sidharth Malik. Malik, formerly Freshworks' chief revenue officer, became global chief executive in December 2021. He left the CEO position in July 2024, after which Thomas assumed the roles of chief executive and executive chairman. The company has continued operating as a private technology business. Its recognition has included inclusion in TiE Silicon Valley's TiE50 selection in 2017, recognition of Thomas by Advertising Age among marketing technology trailblazers that year, and inclusion in Forbes' Best Startup Employers in America in 2021. In 2026, Gartner recognized CleverTap as a Leader in its Magic Quadrant for Personalization Engines, according to the cited reference material.

CleverTap began in May 2013 as WizRocket, founded in San Francisco by former Network18 colleagues Sunil Thomas, Suresh Kondamudi, and Anand Jain. The founders focused on the emerging need for consumer internet and mobile businesses to understand user behavior and communicate with customers in a more timely and relevant way. Rather than limiting the product to outbound messaging, the company developed a platform that connected analytics, segmentation, and engagement workflows. The company's flagship product was privately released in September 2015. It became publicly available approximately three months later, and the business adopted the CleverTap name during this launch period. The rebranding marked the company's shift from an early-stage product identity toward a broader customer engagement platform serving consumer brands. CleverTap financed its expansion through successive private funding rounds. Accel provided seed funding in 2014, followed by a Series A round involving Accel and Sequoia Capital in 2015. The company later received investment associated with Recruit Holdings, and in 2019 it announced additional rounds involving Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Accel, CDPQ, and other investors. These funds supported product development, international growth, and expansion of the company's customer engagement capabilities. The company also pursued growth through acquisitions. In 2021, it bought Patch, a mobile technology startup. In 2022, it acquired Leanplum, a mobile marketing vendor founded in Bulgaria and based in San Francisco. Leanplum brought related mobile engagement capabilities and increased CleverTap's stated customer base to about 1,200. The integration later produced workforce reductions reported in 2025, including approximately 60 to 70 Leanplum employees and some CleverTap India employees. Leadership changed in December 2021 when Sidharth Malik, previously Freshworks' chief revenue officer, was appointed global CEO. Malik left the position in July 2024, and co-founder Sunil Thomas became CEO and executive chairman. In 2025, CleverTap expanded into loyalty technology by acquiring rehook.ai, a Y Combinator-backed startup; the purchase price was not disclosed. CleverTap's business remains centered on helping B2C companies improve acquisition, activation, engagement, retention, and customer lifetime value. Its platform brings together behavioral data, audience creation, personalized content, automated journeys, and campaign measurement. Recognition cited for the company includes TiE Silicon Valley's TiE50 selection in 2017, an Advertising Age marketing technology trailblazer recognition for Thomas that year, Forbes Best Startup Employers in America recognition in 2021, and a 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant designation as a Leader for Personalization Engines.

• 2025

  Expansion into loyalty technology

  [1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  CleverTap acquired rehook.ai, a loyalty-program technology startup.

• 2024

  Co-founder resumes CEO role

  [1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Sunil Thomas became CEO and executive chairman after Sidharth Malik stepped down.

• 2022

  Leanplum acquisition

  [1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  CleverTap acquired Leanplum, expanding its mobile marketing and customer engagement capabilities.

• 2021

  Patch acquisition and CEO transition

  [1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  CleverTap acquired Patch and appointed Sidharth Malik as global CEO.

• 2015

  Public product launch and rebrand

  [1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  After a private release in September, the flagship product was publicly launched and WizRocket adopted the CleverTap name.

• 2013

  WizRocket founded

  [1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Sunil Thomas, Suresh Kondamudi, and Anand Jain founded the company in San Francisco under the name WizRocket.

A data-driven customer engagement and retention platform for B2C brands, combining behavioral analytics, audience segmentation, personalization, and multichannel marketing automation.

• Customer engagement software · 2015

  CleverTap customer engagement platform

  The core platform helps B2C organizations collect and interpret customer behavior, create audience segments, coordinate personalized communications, and measure engagement and retention outcomes. Its use cases include onboarding, activation, re-engagement, lifecycle marketing, repeat usage, and subscription retention. The product combines analytical and campaign functions so marketers can move from identifying a user behavior to designing a targeted response within a connected workflow.

• Customer analytics · 2015

  Behavioral analytics and segmentation

  These capabilities organize behavioral and transactional signals into customer profiles and audience groups. Brands can use them to distinguish user cohorts, identify lifecycle stages, observe engagement patterns, and tailor campaigns to particular needs or actions. The functionality supports retention-oriented marketing by giving teams a more granular view of how customers interact with digital products.

• Marketing automation · 2015

  Campaign automation and personalization

  CleverTap's campaign capabilities are intended to deliver contextual and personalized messages through automated customer journeys. Marketing teams can use event and audience data to trigger communications, coordinate lifecycle programs, and refine content for different user segments. The offering is aimed at improving engagement and retention rather than simply increasing the volume of outbound messages.

• 2025

  Acquisition of rehook.aiM&A

  Background

  CleverTap expanded its retention and loyalty proposition through an acquisition in the loyalty-program technology segment.

  Action taken

  The company acquired rehook.ai, a Y Combinator-backed loyalty technology startup.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition broadened CleverTap's stated scope beyond engagement messaging toward loyalty and retention technology. The transaction value was undisclosed.

  Source

• 2022

  Acquisition of LeanplumM&A

  Background

  CleverTap sought to broaden its mobile marketing and customer engagement capabilities through the purchase of Leanplum.

  Action taken

  The companies completed an acquisition structured as a cash and stock transaction; the purchase price was not disclosed.

  Aftermath

  CleverTap stated that its customer base increased to approximately 1,200. Integration challenges were associated with workforce reductions reported in 2025.

  Source

• 2015

  Public launch of the flagship platformProduct launch

  Background

  Following a private product release in September 2015, the company prepared its customer engagement platform for public availability.

  Action taken

  WizRocket publicly launched the product and adopted the CleverTap brand.

  Aftermath

  The launch established CleverTap as the company's principal public identity and supported its subsequent expansion in customer engagement software.

  Source

• 2025

  CleverTap acquires rehook.ai[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  CleverTap acquired rehook.ai, a Y Combinator-backed loyalty-program technology startup. The transaction value was not disclosed.

• 2025

  Layoffs reported during Leanplum integration[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Integration challenges following the Leanplum acquisition reportedly led to layoffs affecting approximately 60 to 70 Leanplum employees and additional employees in CleverTap India.

• 2024

  Sunil Thomas returns as chief executive[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Sidharth Malik stepped down in July 2024, after which co-founder Sunil Thomas assumed the CEO and executive chairman roles.

• 2022

  CleverTap acquires Leanplum[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  CleverTap acquired Leanplum, a mobile marketing vendor with Bulgarian origins and a San Francisco base. The transaction used cash and stock, with no purchase price publicly stated in the cited material.

• 2021

  CleverTap acquires Patch[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  CleverTap acquired the mobile technology startup Patch as part of its product and capability expansion.

• 2021

  Sidharth Malik appointed global CEO[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Former Freshworks chief revenue officer Sidharth Malik became CleverTap's global chief executive.

• 2015

  WizRocket launches its flagship product and adopts the CleverTap name[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The company's product was privately introduced in September and publicly launched later that year, alongside the transition from WizRocket to CleverTap.

• 2014

  CleverTap raises seed funding from Accel[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company secured seed financing from Accel as it developed its customer engagement technology.

• 2013

  CleverTap founded as WizRocket[1]CleverTapen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Sunil Thomas, Suresh Kondamudi, and Anand Jain established the company in San Francisco under the original name WizRocket.

1. 1CleverTapen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CleverTap Acquires Patchcampaignindia.in
3. 3CleverTap appoints Sidharth Malik as global CEOindiantelevision.com
4. 4CleverTap further expands into Thailand marketmarketing-interactive.com
5. 5CleverTap raises $35 million Series C funding for mobile marketing - ClickZclickz.com
6. 6CleverTap raises $35 mn funding from Tiger Global Management, othersbusiness-standard.com
7. 7CleverTap完成3500万美元C轮融资 推动全球增长prnasia.com