clearbit.com·Information Technology & Services·San Francisco, California, United States
Overall
8
Clearbit's HubSpot acquisition (Nov 2023) positions them as the native data layer for HubSpot's ecosystem—strategic insight for competitive positioning.
Your angle
Leverage as a primary competitive reference: map their HubSpot integration strategy, enrichment API depth, pricing model, and identify differentiation opportunities for Sample's GTM intelligence services.
Overview
Summary
Clearbit is a B2B data enrichment and lead intelligence platform that helps companies find and verify customer information, enhance sales, and reduce fraud.
Founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, Clearbit originally launched as APIHub, offering various data APIs.
In November 2023, the company was acquired by HubSpot and now operates as a HubSpot Native Data Provider under the brand name Breeze Intelligence, while still using the Clearbit name.
The platform offers several key features, including data enrichment, lead scoring and routing, buying intent intelligence, and dynamic form shortening.
Clearbit enriches customer records with reliable B2B data, identifies high-fit leads in real-time, and provides actionable insights from anonymous website traffic.
With global coverage, Clearbit supports multiple languages and serves a diverse customer base.
Prior to its acquisition, the company had over 400,000 users and 1,500 business customers, with extensive data on 20 million companies and 500 million people.
Suggested8/10(weighted)Sub-scores are rubric-derived. Overall is hand-verified against triggers + DM access.
Quick reference
One-pager · generated 2026-05-31
Overview
Attribute
Details
Who They Are
• B2B data enrichment and intelligence platform, acquired by HubSpot for ~$150M and operating as Breeze Intelligence (~25 employees)
Location
San Francisco, California
What They Make/Sell
• Real-time contact and company data enrichment (firmographics, technographics, buyer intent signals) • Website visitor identification (Reveal) and dynamic form shortening
Market Positioning
• Serves as the native, embedded CRM enrichment layer for HubSpot's 200,000+ customers • Shifted from an API-first developer tool to a "batteries-included" intelligence suite within HubSpot • Founding team fully exited post-acquisition; product is now managed by HubSpot's integration leadership
Relationship / Downstream Opportunities
• Referral exchange: Clearbit CSMs refer users needing qualitative competitive context to Sample · Sales Intelligence for a 10–15% fee • Co-marketing: Joint "Complete GTM Intelligence Stack" playbook targeting 5K downloads and 50 MQLs • Integration: Auto-enrich Sample · Sales Intelligence CI briefs with Clearbit's quantitative competitor data
Top Pain Points
• Users hit a wall understanding why they lose head-to-head deals against ZoomInfo, Apollo, or 6sense → Sample · Sales Intelligence provides the qualitative layer with done-for-you competitive intelligence and battle cards • GTM teams face long consulting cycles for competitive context → Sample · Sales Intelligence delivers actionable CI briefs in 3–7 days to immediately support Clearbit's quantitative data
Best Outreach Angle
• Target: Karen Ng, Jared Williams, Chris Hogan (HubSpot Integration Leadership), Kipp Bodnar (CMO) • Hook: Partner to offer a "complete GTM intelligence stack" by combining Clearbit's enrichment data with our done-for-you competitive battle cards via a referral exchange or co-authored playbook.
Next Step
• Send Touch 1 email to Karen Ng requesting a 15-minute Zoom call to discuss a referral partnership that helps their users beat competitors.
Clearbit is a B2B data enrichment and intelligence platform acquired by HubSpot in December 2023 for an estimated $150M cash, now operating as "Breeze Intelligence" within HubSpot's ecosystem. The company provides real-time firmographic, technographic, and intent data to power lead scoring, routing, personalization, and account-based marketing—serving as the native data layer for HubSpot's 200,000+ customers while maintaining limited standalone API access. For Klarix customers evaluating GTM intelligence vendors, Clearbit represents the dominant enrichment-first approach that complements (rather than competes with) done-for-you competitive intelligence services.
Firmographics
Metric
Value
Founded
2014
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Ownership
Wholly owned subsidiary of HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS) since Dec 2023
Total funding
$38.5M across 3 rounds (2015 Seed: $2M; 2019 Series A: $15M; 2022: $21.5M)
Employees
~25 (Apr 2026), down from 167 peak (2022) and 120 (Nov 2023) post-acquisition
Revenue (est.)
$31.5M ARR (Nov 2023 pre-acquisition); current figures not disclosed post-HubSpot integration
Customers
907 active customers pre-acquisition; now embedded in HubSpot's 200K+ customer base
Valuation
Not found publicly (private acquisition terms)
Leadership
Name
Title
Tenure / Notes
Matt Sornson
Co-Founder & CEO (departed May 2025)
Returned as CEO May 2023 after layoffs; left HubSpot May 2025 to pursue education-tech venture with Aaron Rasmussen (linkedin.com)
Alex MacCaw
Co-Founder (departed)
Original CEO; ex-Stripe engineer; now runs Earl Grey Capital VC fund; authored "The Great CEO Within"
Amit Vasudev
Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer (departed)
Co-runs Earl Grey Capital with MacCaw and Sornson
Harlow Ward
Co-Founder
Stayed through HubSpot acquisition; current role not found publicly
Andrew O'Neal
Former Co-Founder
Departed prior to acquisition
Rob Holland
Co-Founder
Not found publicly post-acquisition
Jared Williams, Karen Ng, Chris Hogan, Kipp Bodnar, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan
Positioning evolution: Shifted from "API-first data infrastructure for developers" (2015–2023) to "native CRM enrichment layer for HubSpot users" (2024+). Standalone API access remains for legacy customers but is no longer the growth vector. HubSpot's messaging emphasizes "batteries-included customer platform" with Clearbit as the embedded intelligence layer (
Klarix produces "How to combine enrichment data + competitive intelligence for ABM" playbook. Clearbit gets thought leadership distribution; Klarix gets HubSpot ecosystem visibility. Target: 5K downloads, 50 MQLs each.
Low. Content is educational, not product-pushing. Risk: HubSpot's legal/brand team may slow approval cycles.
Referral exchange: Clearbit → Klarix for "competitive context" gap
Clearbit CSMs/AEs lead referrals
Clearbit customers asking "how do I understand why competitors win deals?" get referred to Klarix. Klarix pays 10–15% referral fee on first-year ACV. Clearbit CSMs get tool to solve customer pain point without building it.
Medium. Requires Clearbit CSM training + CRM tracking. Post-acquisition, HubSpot may deprioritize non-HubSpot partnerships.
Integration: Klarix CI briefs auto-enrich with Clearbit competitor data
Klarix Engineering leads build
Klarix briefs pull Clearbit firmographics on profiled competitors (e.g., "Competitor X: 500 employees, $50M ARR, uses Salesforce/Marketo"). Adds quantitative context to qualitative CI. Klarix customers see richer briefs; Clearbit gets API usage revenue.
Existing partner ecosystem
Pre-acquisition partnerships (from integrations page + case studies):
CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot (now parent), Pipedrive
MAPs: Marketo, Pardot, Eloqua
Sales tools: Outreach, SalesLoft, Gong (case study: gong.io)
Personalization: Mutiny, Optimizely (Greenhouse case study used Optimizely + Clearbit for web personalization)
Data/workflow: Segment, Zapier, Workato, n8n
Ad platforms: Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads (via Clearbit Advertising add-on)
Post-acquisition ecosystem shift:
HubSpot is now the primary integration. Standalone integrations remain but are no longer actively marketed.
HubSpot's App Marketplace becomes the distribution channel. Klarix would need to be listed there to maximize co-sell leverage.
Co-sell / referral plays
Scenario 1: SaaS company launching competitive ABM program
Buyer: VP Marketing at $10M ARR SaaS company entering crowded market (e.g., project management, CRM, sales engagement)
Trigger: Board asks "why are we losing to Competitor X?" + "how do we win their customers?"
Clearbit role: Enriches target account list with firmographics/technographics; identifies which competitors' customers are visiting the buyer's website (Reveal)
Klarix role: Delivers competitive intelligence brief on Competitor X (positioning, pricing, messaging, win/loss patterns, partnership strategy)
Handoff: Clearbit CSM says "You need enrichment data to target the right accounts; you need Klarix to message against the competitor once you're in the deal."
Revenue: Clearbit gets $30K/year enrichment contract; Klarix gets $36K/year (3-brief/month tier). Total customer spend: $66K across both vendors.
Clearbit is now a HubSpot product. HubSpot's partner team may deprioritize non-HubSpot-native integrations. Klarix must get listed in HubSpot App Marketplace to maintain relevance. If HubSpot launches its own "competitive intelligence" feature (unlikely but possible), partnership becomes obsolete.
Clearbit's API remains available for legacy customers, but HubSpot has not committed to long-term standalone support. If API is deprecated, Klarix's "auto-enrich competitor profiles with Clearbit data" integration breaks. Mitigation: Build integration to work with HubSpot's enrichment API (Breeze Intelligence) instead of Clearbit's standalone API.
Customer poaching via referral program
Low
Clearbit refers customer to Klarix; Klarix delivers CI brief that includes "consider switching from HubSpot to Salesforce" recommendation. HubSpot sees this as undermining their platform. Mitigation: Klarix's CI briefs should be CRM-agnostic and avoid recommending platform switches unless explicitly requested.
Brand mismatch: Clearbit is now "enterprise HubSpot"; Klarix is "boutique service"
Engagement plan
Next 90 days:
Identify HubSpot's Breeze Intelligence / Clearbit partnership lead (Week 1–2)
Target contact: Director/VP of Partnerships, HubSpot (Breeze Intelligence division)
Action: LinkedIn outreach + warm intro via mutual connection (check if any Klarix investors/advisors know HubSpot execs)
Deliverable: Confirm whether HubSpot is open to co-marketing/referral partnerships for Breeze Intelligence, or if all partnerships must route through HubSpot App Marketplace
Fallback: If no partnership lead exists, target HubSpot's VP of Product Marketing (Breeze Intelligence) to explore thought leadership collaboration
Publish "Enrichment + Competitive Intelligence" playbook and tag Clearbit/HubSpot (Week 3–6)
Action: Klarix writes 2,500-word guide: "How to Combine Data Enrichment and Competitive Intelligence to Win More Deals"
Content: Use anonymized Klarix customer example showing how enrichment data (company size, tech stack) + CI insight (competitor positioning) improved win rate by 18%
Open questions
Does HubSpot's Breeze Intelligence roadmap include competitive intelligence features?
If HubSpot plans to build "AI-powered competitive analysis" into Breeze, Klarix becomes a competitor rather than a partner. Need to confirm HubSpot's product roadmap before investing heavily in partnership.
Source to check: HubSpot's INBOUND conference announcements, Breeze Intelligence release notes, HubSpot Ideas forum
What is Clearbit's standalone API deprecation timeline?
Klarix's "auto-enrich competitor profiles" integration depends on API access. If API sunsets in 12 months, integration becomes obsolete.
Need to confirm: Is Clearbit API available long-term, or should Klarix build against HubSpot's API instead?
Are HubSpot CSMs/AEs compensated for partner referrals?
If HubSpot reps get no credit for referring customers to Klarix, referral motion dies. Need to understand HubSpot's partner referral incentive structure.
Alternative: If HubSpot won't pay referral fees, Klarix could offer direct incentives to individual CSMs (gift cards, SPIFs)—but this may violate HubSpot policy.
Deep Research
Key Personnel
Matt Sornson - Founder / CEO (Source: Tracxn, GetLatka)
Alex MacCaw - Founder (Source: Tracxn)
Amit Vasudev - Founder (Source: Tracxn)
Harlow Ward - Founder (Source: Tracxn)
Andrew O Neal - Founder (Source: Tracxn)
Rob Holland - Founder (Source: Tracxn)
Mandi Tallion-Cavano - Co-Founder (Source: RocketReach - Note: RocketReach data often conflicts with other sources)
Mentioned case studies/users: Livestorm, Frame.io, Chargebee, Optimizely, Amplitude, Brex, Zendesk.
Strengths & Differentiators:
Additional Intel
Corporate Rebranding: Following its December 2023 acquisition by HubSpot, Clearbit's services have been fully integrated into the HubSpot platform and rebranded as "Breeze Intelligence" (effective June 2025). It now operates on a "HubSpot Credits" system rather than standalone credit packs.
Company Details: Founded in 2014/2015. Headquartered at 90 Sheridan St, San Francisco, California 94103, US.
Employee Count: Estimates vary wildly by source for 2026: 120 employees (GetLatka), 133 employees (Growjo), 25-27 employees (Tracxn/RocketReach).
Strategic GTM Shift: Clearbit publicly shifted its Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) strategy from a traditional funnel focused on top-line growth (initial sales) to a "bow tie model." This model focuses heavily on retaining and expanding customers, noting that 86% of their long-term revenue came from just 18% of their leads.
Product Expansion: Launched "Powered by Clearbit," allowing product and engineering teams to provision API keys and offer data credits to their own end-users, shifting toward a platform/infrastructure play for other B2B SaaS tools.
Deep Research (Tavily Advanced)
HubSpot integration leadership
Named in Sornson's LinkedIn farewell as key HubSpot stakeholders managing Clearbit integration
Key observation: Founding team has fully exited post-acquisition. Product now managed by HubSpot's Breeze Intelligence division. No standalone Clearbit executive leadership remains.
Klarix customers building ABM programs need enriched account data → Clearbit provides firmographics/technographics
Klarix customers running outbound need lead scoring/routing → Clearbit provides real-time fit signals
Klarix customers personalizing web experiences need visitor identification → Clearbit Reveal
No overlap with Klarix's CI service: Clearbit provides quantitative data (company size, tech stack, intent scores); Klarix provides qualitative competitive intelligence (positioning, messaging, pricing strategy, partnership plays). Complementary, not competitive.
Persona overlap: Marketing Ops, RevOps, Sales Ops, Demand Gen—same buyers evaluating both Clearbit (for data) and Klarix (for competitive intelligence)
Buying trigger overlap: Companies scaling ABM, launching new products, entering new markets, or facing competitive pressure often need both enriched data (Clearbit) and competitive positioning insight (Klarix)
Low technical risk (standard API). Commercial risk: Clearbit may not offer partner API pricing post-HubSpot; could require per-lookup fees that don't scale.
For enterprise deals, bundle Klarix's win/loss analysis with Clearbit's intent data. Pitch: "Understand why you lose to Competitor X (Klarix) + identify accounts researching Competitor X (Clearbit Reveal)." Split revenue 70/30 Klarix/Clearbit on bundled deals.
High. Requires tight sales coordination + contract structure HubSpot legal may reject. Also: Clearbit Reveal now HubSpot-only; can't bundle for non-HubSpot customers.
Event co-sponsorship: "GTM Intelligence Summit" for RevOps leaders
Low. Standard event sponsorship model. Risk: HubSpot may require "HubSpot presents" branding, diluting Clearbit's standalone identity.
Case study co-development: Joint customer success stories
Klarix Customer Success leads outreach
Identify 3–5 customers using both Clearbit + Klarix. Co-author case studies showing "enrichment + CI = faster competitive wins." Publish on both sites, co-promote. Each case study generates ~500 views, 10–15 MQLs per side.
Medium. Requires customer willingness to participate (time-intensive). Also: HubSpot may want to own the narrative, making "Clearbit + Klarix" story harder to tell than "HubSpot + Klarix."
Highest-value play: Referral exchange. Clearbit's CSMs encounter "competitive intelligence gap" daily (customers asking why they lose deals, not just who is visiting their site). Klarix solves that gap. Low-friction, high-trust motion if Clearbit CSMs are incentivized.
Lowest-friction play: Co-marketing content. No commercial integration required; pure thought leadership.
Where Klarix fits:
Not a competitor to existing partners: Clearbit partners are data/automation/personalization tools. Klarix is a service (done-for-you CI), not a SaaS tool. No channel conflict.
Complements Gong partnership: Gong provides internal conversation intelligence (what your reps say); Klarix provides external competitive intelligence (what competitors say). Natural stack pairing.
Fills "qualitative insight" gap: Clearbit's ecosystem is quantitative-data-heavy. Klarix adds the qualitative layer (positioning, messaging, pricing strategy) that enrichment can't provide.
Risk: HubSpot may prioritize partnerships that drive HubSpot platform adoption (e.g., tools that require HubSpot to function). Klarix is CRM-agnostic, which could make it a lower priority for HubSpot's partner team post-acquisition.
: Director of Revenue Operations at $100M ARR company with 15% competitive loss rate
Trigger: CFO mandates "reduce CAC by improving win rate against top 3 competitors"
Clearbit role: Provides intent data showing which lost deals are still researching solutions (re-engagement targets)
Klarix role: Conducts win/loss interviews, delivers positioning recommendations, identifies why deals are lost
Handoff: Klarix delivers win/loss report citing "lack of real-time intent data" as a gap → refers to Clearbit for intent layer
Revenue: Klarix gets $50K one-time win/loss project; Clearbit gets $40K/year intent subscription. Klarix leads the deal; Clearbit is the upsell.
Scenario 3: HubSpot Professional customer hitting enrichment limits
Buyer: Marketing Ops Manager at 200-employee company on HubSpot Professional (3,000 credits/mo)
Trigger: Burning through credits faster than expected; needs to prioritize high-value enrichment
Clearbit role: Already embedded in HubSpot; customer is a captive user
Klarix role: Helps customer define ICP based on competitive win patterns ("You win against Competitor Y when target has X firmographic profile") → customer uses Klarix insight to configure Clearbit enrichment rules more efficiently
Handoff: HubSpot CSM refers customer to Klarix for "ICP definition via competitive analysis" → Klarix delivers brief → customer optimizes Clearbit usage
Revenue: Clearbit gets continued HubSpot subscription revenue (no incremental); Klarix gets $36K/year. Pure Klarix win, but strengthens Clearbit's value prop.
Scenario 4: Competitive displacement campaign
Buyer: Head of Sales at company targeting Competitor Z's install base
Trigger: Competitor Z raises $50M Series B; buyer's company wants to poach their mid-market customers before they upgrade
Clearbit role: Identifies companies using Competitor Z's tech stack (technographic enrichment); tracks which are visiting buyer's website
Klarix role: Delivers "How to Win Against Competitor Z" playbook (positioning, pricing objections, feature gaps, customer pain points)
Handoff: Clearbit provides the list; Klarix provides the script. Sales team uses both to run coordinated outbound campaign.
Revenue: Clearbit gets $25K/year for tech stack data; Klarix gets $60K/year (custom playbook + ongoing updates). Both vendors cite the campaign as a joint case study.
Common pattern: Clearbit answers "who" and "when" (which accounts, what intent signals); Klarix answers "why" and "how" (why competitors win, how to position against them). Natural hand-off at the "data → insight → action" boundary.
Low
Post-acquisition, Clearbit's brand is subsumed into HubSpot's corporate identity. Klarix's scrappy, founder-led brand may feel mismatched in joint marketing. Mitigation: Position partnership as "HubSpot's data layer + Klarix's human insight" rather than "Clearbit + Klarix." Lean into the contrast (platform + service) rather than fighting it.
Revenue share disputes on bundled deals
Medium
If Klarix and Clearbit attempt joint deals with revenue splits, HubSpot's finance/legal teams may reject non-standard contract structures. Mitigation: Keep commercial relationships simple—referral fees only, no bundled pricing. Let customers contract separately with each vendor.
Clearbit's CSM team lacks bandwidth to drive referrals post-acquisition
High
Clearbit's headcount dropped from 167 (2022) to 25 (2026). Remaining CSMs are likely underwater managing HubSpot integration + customer transitions. They may not have capacity to learn Klarix's value prop and actively refer. Mitigation: Klarix must make referrals easy—one-pager explainer, pre-written email templates, $500 Visa gift card per qualified referral to individual CSMs (if HubSpot allows).
Biggest risk: HubSpot's strategic priorities post-acquisition may not include nurturing Clearbit's external partnerships. If HubSpot views Clearbit purely as an internal feature (not a standalone product with a partner ecosystem), Klarix's partnership may be deprioritized or ignored. Early signal: Matt Sornson (CEO who championed partnerships) left in May 2025. No named Clearbit partnership lead remains.
Distribution: Publish on Klarix blog, post on LinkedIn tagging @HubSpot and @Clearbit, submit to HubSpot Blog guest post program
Goal: Generate 1,000+ views, 20+ inbound inquiries, signal to HubSpot that Klarix is a credible ecosystem partner
Metric: Track referral traffic from HubSpot/Clearbit social shares
Pilot referral program with 3 HubSpot VARs/agencies (Week 7–12)
Action: Identify 3 HubSpot partners via HubSpot Partner Directory whose clients match Klarix ICP (e.g., agencies specializing in SaaS ABM). Offer 15% referral fee on first-year Klarix ACV for any client they refer.
Pitch: "Your clients using Breeze Intelligence for enrichment often ask 'how do I beat Competitor X?' Klarix answers that question. Refer them, earn 15%, strengthen your client relationship."
Goal: Close 2 deals via partner referrals in 90 days (proof of concept for scaled partner program)
Deliverable: Partner referral one-pager (PDF) + co-branded email template partners can send to clients
Why this works: HubSpot VARs are incentivized to add value to clients (increases retention + upsell). Klarix is a low-friction add-on that solves a real client pain point (competitive pressure).
Why this sequence:
Week 1–2: Establish whether a formal HubSpot partnership is viable (or if Klarix must work around HubSpot's corporate machinery)
Week 3–6: Build credibility via thought leadership (low-cost, high-visibility)
Week 7–12: Prove revenue potential via VAR/agency channel (if HubSpot direct partnership is slow/blocked, VARs become the primary distribution path)
Success criteria:
1 confirmed HubSpot partnership contact by Week 2
1,000+ views on co-marketing content by Week 6
2 closed deals via HubSpot VAR referrals by Week 12
If all three hit: scale to 10+ VAR partnerships + formal HubSpot App Marketplace listing in Q2
Which HubSpot Solutions Partners (VARs) have the highest concentration of competitive-pressure clients?
Not all HubSpot agencies are equal. Need to identify which partners serve clients in hyper-competitive verticals (e.g., martech, sales tools, dev tools) where Klarix's CI service has highest ROI.
Action: Request HubSpot Partner Directory data or manually research top 20 partners' client portfolios
What is Clearbit's current customer retention rate post-acquisition?
If Clearbit customers are churning due to HubSpot lock-in or pricing changes, partnership may be less valuable (smaller addressable base).
Proxy signal: G2 reviews post-Nov 2023 show complaints about "HubSpot dependency" and "credit expiration" (copy.ai). Suggests some customer friction.
Does HubSpot allow third-party services (not SaaS tools) in the App Marketplace?
Klarix is a service (human analysts), not a software integration. HubSpot App Marketplace may only accept SaaS apps with technical integrations.
Need to confirm: Can Klarix list as a "Professional Services" partner, or is a software integration required?
End of brief.
Growjo, Nubela
Pricing (HubSpot/Breeze)
$10 per 1,000 additional credits. Annual platform costs range from ~$108 (Starter) to ~$43,200+ (Enterprise)
Landbase
Acquisition Status
Acquired by HubSpot on Dec 06, 2023
Tracxn, Cognism
Real-time data enrichment with high accuracy and live-refresh architecture.
Developer-friendly, fast RESTful APIs (millisecond response times).
Form-shortening capabilities to boost inbound conversion rates.
Strong IP-to-company mapping for website visitor identification (Clearbit Reveal).
Weaknesses & Vulnerabilities:
Pricing: Escalates quickly with high-volume usage; restrictive credit models under HubSpot.
