CleverTap uses AI to personalize experiences across channels, helping businesses like Domino’s and Sony boost engagement and revenue. Learn how they rose from a startup to a global leader in customer engagement.
The Challenge: Customers expect a consistent and engaging brand experience across all touchpoints in today’s demanding market. Maintaining a strong brand presence across various channels is crucial for boosting business credibility and connecting with target audiences.
The Solution: CleverTap, a leading customer engagement and retention platform, helps businesses navigate this challenge. Their AI-powered platform processes over 10 billion interactions daily, enabling enterprises to improve mobile user retention and conversion rates.
The Proof: Over 10,000 clients, including industry giants like Daimler, Domino’s, and Sony, rely on CleverTap to increase user engagement, boost retention, and achieve long-term revenue growth. Additionally, the company enjoys the backing of renowned venture capital firms like Sequoia and Tiger Global Management, further solidifying its position in the market.
The Origin Story: Founded in 2013 by Anand Jain, Suresh Kondamudi, and Sunil Thomas, CleverTap arose from the founders’ recognition of two key industry trends: a rising demand for cross-platform access to products and a shrinking user attention span. Witnessing brands struggle to keep pace with these changes, the trio saw the need for timely and personalized communication strategies.
Solving the Problem: Recognizing that many brands were investing in user acquisition without addressing retention, the founders envisioned a platform that could help businesses retain, engage, and convert users through a deeper understanding of both expressed and unexpressed user needs, coupled with the ability to anticipate future requirements.
The Journey Continues: BookMyShow became CleverTap’s first client in 2013, and the company experienced significant growth, including its US launch in 2015 and a rebranding from WizRocket to CleverTap.
A Timeline of CleverTap’s Growth
- 2013: CleverTap is founded by Anand Jain, Suresh Kondamudi, and Sunil Thomas.
- 2014:
- The company secures seed funding of USD 1.6 million from Accel.
- 2015:
- CleverTap secures an additional Series A funding of $8 million from Accel and Sequoia Capital.
- The company launches at TechCrunch Disrupt.
- 2017:
- CleverTap receives an additional USD 6 million in funding from existing and new investors, including RSP India Fund.
- TiE Silicon Valley includes CleverTap in its TiE50 list, recognizing it as one of the world’s 50 most promising technology startups.
- Sunil Thomas, CEO of CleverTap, is named one of the 25 Marketing Technology Trailblazers by Advertising Age.
- 2019:
- CleverTap raises USD 26 million in a Series B investment round led by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, and Accel.
- The company then secured USD 35 million in a Series C investment led by Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global Management, bringing its total investment to over USD 77 million.
- 2020:
- CleverTap expands its global presence into the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region.
- Ketto, a leading Asian crowdfunding platform, successfully uses CleverTap to raise funds for charitable initiatives.
- 2020-2021:
- CleverTap has received recognition as a Forbes’ Best Startup Employer in America for two consecutive years.
- 2022:
- Raised USD 105 million in Series D funding led by CDPQ, with participation from IIFL AMC’s Tech Fund and existing investors Tiger Global and Peak XV Partners.
Leveraging AI and ML to Empower Big Brands
The founders of CleverTap identified a key ingredient for a high-quality user experience: an app that truly “understands the user.” This meant delivering relevant and timely content through the right channels at the right moments. To achieve this, they recognized the crucial role of data.
By incorporating AI and ML, CleverTap elevates user experiences through two key functionalities:
- Real-time understanding: The platform analyzes user context and intent, predicts behavior, and enables relevant engagement opportunities.
- Personalized content: Leveraging data beyond user behavior (location, time, preferences, etc.), CleverTap personalizes content based on the user’s unique needs and context.
This focus on data-driven personalization addresses a critical challenge for all digital businesses: user retention. As Sunil Thomas, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman at CleverTap, states, “An app loses on average 90% of its users within the first 90 days. We believe real-time data analysis is the key to tackling this issue.”
CleverTap’s purpose-built technology differentiates them in the market, providing a comprehensive solution for understanding user needs and delivering personalized experiences that drive engagement and retention.
An All-in-One Platform for Boosting Engagement and Retention
- All-in-one Powerhouse: CleverTap simplifies your marketing efforts by offering behavioral analytics, audience segmentation, and cross-channel messaging within a single platform. This reportedly helps clients reduce uninstalls by 30% and improve retention by 5x.
- Omnichannel Engagement: Deliver seamless experiences across different touchpoints at every customer journey stage. Use personalized messaging campaigns across 12 channels, including push notifications, email, in-app notifications, and even WhatsApp.
- Actionable Insights: Gain a deep understanding of your audience with real-time behavioral analytics. Analyze user behavior through cohort analysis, conversion funnels, profile data, and uninstall tracking.
- Personalization at Scale: Leverage data to personalize messages, recommend products intelligently, and automate campaigns. This ensures your users receive relevant and timely communication, fostering deeper engagement.
- Built for Scalability and Security: Processed over 10 billion data points and confidently sent over 2 billion communications daily. CleverTap is built for speed, security, and scalability to meet your growing needs.
What started as a vision has now grown into a global SaaS brand
From a visionary idea, CleverTap has blossomed into a global SaaS brand. Here’s a glimpse into the leadership driving its success:
- Sunil Thomas, Co-founder and Executive Chairman: A seasoned technologist, Thomas steers the company’s strategic direction while fostering strong investor relations. He brings experience from previous CTO roles at Network18 and Infospace Inc.
- Anand Jain, Co-founder and Product: Passionate about all things tech, Jain leads the strategic charge at CleverTap. His diverse background spans Network18, Burrp!, Motorola, and AT&T Wireless.
- Suresh Kondamudi, CTO & Co-founder: Leading the engineering team, Kondamudi spearheads the development of CleverTap’s high-performance systems for large-scale operations. He previously held leadership positions at ngpay and Network18.
Engage Customers at Every Touchpoint
CleverTap is an all-in-one platform for crafting captivating user experiences across mobile, web, and in-app environments. Leverage powerful tools to
- Visually build and deliver omnichannel campaigns optimized for maximum impact.
- Effortlessly create actionable segments for precise targeting.
- Gain real-time user insights through comprehensive analytics, uncovering trends and tracking behavior.
- Navigate users through their lifecycle with a guided framework to maximize engagement.
Empowering Personalized Interactions
CleverTap fosters meaningful brand interactions at every touchpoint, guiding users toward conversion. Deliver relevant and timely contextual messages throughout their journey, crafting a remarkable customer experience.
Data-Driven Growth
Beyond basic understanding – unlock a deeper knowledge of your users’ preferences. Leverage powerful APIs to correlate data across touchpoints, gaining real-time insights through customizable reports. Utilize live user segments to drive strategic decision-making and propel business growth.
