Behind the Site

Hotjar

hotjar.com

Product experience insights platform offering heatmaps, session recordings and surveys, now owned by Contentsquare.

  • Product/UX analytics software
  • acquired
  • Founded 2014
  • Researched Sep 2026
Confirmed
Age12 yearsDomain registered 2007
Likely
Based inMalta
Likely
Employees100-200Hotjar's own author bio cites 170 team members across 33 countries (recent), while third-party trackers (Tracxn, LeadIQ) report roughly 121-126 employees as of 2026
Confirmed
FundingAcquiredAcquisition by Contentsquare
Likely
PlatformsWeb, API
Confirmed
Founders3 foundersDavid Darmanin, Marc von Brockdorff, Jonathan Vella

The story

Hotjar was founded in Malta in 2014 by David Darmanin and co-founders as a bootstrapped, fully remote SaaS company providing website behavior analytics. It grew profitably to tens of millions in ARR without outside investment before being acquired by digital experience analytics firm Contentsquare in 2021, and it continues to operate as a product line under Contentsquare.

Timeline

  1. Founded2014

    Hotjar founded

    Founded in Malta by David Darmanin and co-founders as a fully remote company

  2. Milestone2019

    $19M revenue milestone

    Grew to about $19 million in annual revenue within 5 years, bootstrapped

  3. Milestone2020

    ~$22-27M ARR

    Revenue run rate reported north of $22M, later cited near $27M ARR

  4. AcquiredSep 2021

    Acquired by Contentsquare

    Contentsquare bought Hotjar to serve SMB and enterprise markets together

  5. MilestoneOct 2021

    Deal closes

    Acquisition deal closed the month after announcement

Founders

  • David Darmanin

    Founder and Chairman

    Former CEO of Hotjar; previously a growth/conversion consultant for a decade

    hotjar.comcrunchbase.com

  • Marc von Brockdorff

    Co-Founder and Head of Design

    Co-founded Hotjar in 2014 alongside David Darmanin

  • Jonathan Vella

    Co-Founder and Head of Product

    Co-founded Hotjar in 2014 alongside David Darmanin

11 sourcesEvery fact above links back to these.
  1. David Darmanin - Hotjar author biohotjar.com
  2. Hotjar's Evolution: Built to Sell vs. Planning to Sell Wisdombuilttosell.com
  3. David Darmanin - Crunchbase Person Profilecrunchbase.com
  4. Keyhire Podcast | David Darmanin - Hotjarkeyhire.io
  5. Interview with Hotjar's Co-Founder, David Darmaninblog.salesflare.com
  6. Hotjar - Founders and Board of Directors - Tracxntracxn.com
  7. Contentsquare acquires Hotjar to help all businesses build better digital experiencescontentsquare.com
  8. Digital Analytics Giant Contentsquare Just Acquired Hotjarbuiltinnyc.com
  9. Contentsquare Acquires Hotjar: What It Meansfullsession.io
  10. Hotjar - Company Profile, Team, Funding & Competitors - Tracxntracxn.com
  11. Hotjar Employee Directory, Headcount & Staff - LeadIQleadiq.com
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