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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
SaaS predictive analytics for growth marketing teams. Self-serve models predict user conversion, churn, and retarget users without coding.
ClearBrain has raised $3.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at ClearBrain.
ClearBrain was founded in 2016 by Bilal Mahmood (Founder/CEO).
ClearBrain has raised $3.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Based in San Francisco, California, ClearBrain provides a self-serve predictive analytics platform that enables growth marketers to identify user conversion and churn probabilities without requiring specialized coding expertise. The software utilizes artificial intelligence to distinguish causation from correlation, allowing business-to-business marketing teams to automatically build predictive models and prioritize digital experimentation strategies. To facilitate seamless workflows, the system integrates directly with data infrastructure providers such as Segment and Heap to streamline the automated retargeting of specific user segments. Operating with a workforce of 10 employees, the enterprise secured $120,000 in total seed funding from early-stage technology investors including the startup accelerator Y Combinator. Following its initial market traction, the business was acquired by product analytics company Amplitude in March 2020 for an undisclosed financial amount. ClearBrain was founded in 2016 by Bilal Mahmood and Eric Pollmann.
Key people at ClearBrain.
ClearBrain has raised $3.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in April 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2018 | $2M Seed | — | Anorak Ventures, Brand Foundry Ventures, Floodgate, Friále, General Catalyst, Hambro Perks, Harrison Metal, Menlo Ventures, Presence Capital, Shasta Ventures, Super Ventures, Y Combinator, Alain Hanover, DON Stein, Jonathan Swanson, Marco Zappacosta, Ryan Walsh, Scott Belsky, Wayne Chang | Announced |
| Feb 1, 2018 | $1M Seed | — | Pear VC | Announced |
ClearBrain was founded in 2016 by Bilal Mahmood (Founder/CEO).
ClearBrain has raised $3.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
ClearBrain's investors include Anorak Ventures, Brand Foundry Ventures, Floodgate, Friále, General Catalyst, Hambro Perks, Harrison Metal, Menlo Ventures, Presence Capital, Shasta Ventures, Super Ventures, Y Combinator.
ClearBrain is a predictive analytics company that provides self-serve causal analytics designed specifically for growth marketing teams. Its platform simulates thousands of A/B tests on historical data to predict user behavior and optimize marketing strategies without the time and resource costs of traditional testing. By leveraging generalized causal inference, ClearBrain helps growth marketers identify actionable insights, forecast conversion goals, segment audiences based on lift potential, and activate targeted campaigns through integrations with CRMs, CDPs, and ad platforms. This enables companies to improve conversion rates and ROI with data-driven decisions.
ClearBrain primarily serves growth marketers and product teams at companies ranging from startups to Fortune 1000 enterprises, helping them understand the true causal impact of user actions on key performance indicators (KPIs). The company has demonstrated strong growth momentum, culminating in its acquisition by Amplitude, a product intelligence firm, which integrated ClearBrain’s technology to enhance predictive capabilities for product and marketing teams[1][2][3][5].
ClearBrain was founded by Bilal Mahmood (CEO) and Eric Pollmann (CTO), engineers with backgrounds at Google Ads and Optimizely’s data infrastructure teams. The startup emerged from the founders’ recognition that existing analytics platforms were limited by correlation-based models that could not accurately determine causation in user behavior. They aimed to build the first large-scale causal inference engine that automates statistical studies to measure the causal effect of every marketing action.
Founded around 2018 and part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2018 batch, ClearBrain quickly gained traction by serving high-profile clients and raising funding from investors such as Harrison Metal and Menlo Ventures. A pivotal moment was the launch of their causal analytics tool that allowed growth teams to prioritize A/B tests and estimate impacts of untestable variables, significantly accelerating data-driven marketing decisions. The company was acquired by Amplitude in 2020, marking a key evolution in its focus toward integrated product and marketing analytics[2][3][5][6].
ClearBrain rides the growing trend of causal inference and AI-driven analytics in marketing technology, addressing a critical gap where traditional analytics fail to distinguish causation from correlation. As companies increasingly demand faster, more accurate insights to optimize user acquisition and retention, ClearBrain’s timing is ideal. The rise of data privacy regulations and the decline of cookie-based tracking further push marketers toward sophisticated, data-driven approaches that do not rely on invasive tracking but instead leverage historical data smartly.
Market forces favor platforms that can automate complex analytics and integrate seamlessly with existing marketing stacks, enabling growth teams to make confident, rapid decisions. By pioneering causal analytics for growth marketing, ClearBrain influences the broader ecosystem by setting new standards for predictive accuracy and actionable insights, helping companies move beyond guesswork to scientifically grounded marketing strategies[1][3][5].
Following its acquisition by Amplitude, ClearBrain’s technology is positioned to become a core component of integrated product and marketing intelligence platforms, enabling companies to predict which features, campaigns, and product bets will drive growth with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Future trends shaping ClearBrain’s journey include the increasing adoption of AI-powered decision-making, the emphasis on privacy-compliant data strategies, and the demand for real-time, causal insights in competitive digital markets.
As causal analytics mature, ClearBrain’s influence is likely to expand beyond growth marketing into broader product optimization and customer experience domains, helping businesses make smarter, faster bets on user engagement and revenue growth. This evolution ties back to ClearBrain’s founding mission: empowering growth teams with the clarity of causation rather than correlation, accelerating data-driven success in an increasingly complex digital landscape[2][3][5].
