Contentstack, a San Francisco-based startup that enables marketers and developers to create omnichannel digital content through an automated headless content management system (CMS), is expanding its presence in India. It has created an exclusive offering for local developers and startups, giving them free access to an enterprise-grade CMS that’s typically reserved for large enterprises, Neha Sampat, founder & CEO of Contentstack, tells S Shanthi in an interview. The CMS platform powers content infrastructure for brands like McDonald’s, Alaska Airlines, ASICS, Burberry, Mattel, Mitsubishi and Walmart. Excerpts:
You have recently scaled up your presence in India. Tell us more.
Contentstack was engineered in India. We started with a modest office inside a repurposed tile factory in Virar. We now have a 550+ team and are expanding our presence through new offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, and Virar and hiring across various functions.
What unique offerings do you currently have for the Indian market?
India is our innovation hub. It’s home to a significant part of our engineering team. The pace, ambition, and creativity we see here every day challenge us to move faster, think deeper, and build smarter. That’s exactly why we launched our Developer Relations (DevRel) efforts in India last year. We wanted to create space for meaningful conversations around the future of technology in the real world, with the real builders. Over the past year, we have curated more than 40 events across Virar, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai as sponsors, speakers, and active participants in the developer community. We have also created an exclusive offering for developers and startups in India, giving them free access to an enterprise-grade content management system (CMS) that’s typically reserved for large enterprises.
What kind of product expansion are you looking at?
We are doubling down on capabilities that matter in India, such as personalised content at scale, natural-language workflows, and AI-led automation. Globally, we are introducing artificial intelligence (AI)-driven content capabilities, intelligent automation, and real-time personalisation to create more relevant and dynamic experiences. Our goal is to reduce friction, accelerate velocity, and help brands deliver meaningful digital experiences at scale.
What kind of expansion have you planned in other markets?
We are hiring across roles to bring in diverse, ambitious talent. We are also growing our partner network to accelerate global reach and customer success, while doubling down on efforts to bring modern digital experiences to more brands worldwide.
How is the capital raised in 2022 being deployed? When do you plan to raise next?
We closed our Series C in November 2022, raising $80 million led by Georgian and Insight Partners (with Illuminate Ventures). Since then, we have focused investments on hiring top talent, expanding globally, innovating our product stack, and strengthening strategic partnerships. Right now, our focus is on execution and growth and not on funding.
How many clients do you serve today? How has that grown?
We currently serve over 500 global brands, including Air France KLM, ASICS, Burberry, Mattel, McDonald’s, Mitsubishi, MongoDB, and Walmart. As enterprises move away from legacy systems toward composable architecture, we have seen massive growth. Our platform now powers petabytes of content every month, with a 60X surge in digital content usage. As digital experiences grow more dynamic, personalised, and distributed, we are focused on helping the world’s leading teams build faster, scale smarter, and deliver with confidence.
You acquired Lytics earlier this year. Will you be looking at any other acquisition this FY or next?
Lytics acquisition complements our existing personalised product, enabling us to deliver an end to end digital experience platform that unifies content and actionable first party data. Within five months of the acquisition, we launched Contentstack EDGE which brings content and data together. We have always built in-house, but now we prioritise impact over ideology. We will consider acquisitions if they accelerate time-to-market, enhance customer value, and align culturally.
What are your overall growth plans for this financial year and beyond?
Our growth plans are built around one clear goal: to redefine what a modern, intelligent DXP (digital experience platform) should deliver for marketers, developers, and end users alike. To get there, we are focused on three things: accelerating product innovation, simplifying the user experience, and scaling with intention.
Will you be looking at reverse flipping?
It is encouraging to see India creating a more supportive and mature environment for global-scale companies. That said, any decision around domicile is a significant strategic move, and we will consider it carefully. If reverse flipping aligns with our long-term goals, whether it’s talent, access to capital, or operational alignment, we will evaluate it at the right time. But it will always be a decision driven by strategy, not symbolism.