You might think you and your Southern grandma are worlds apart, but for the purposes of a data analytics firm called Syntasa, traditional demographic markers aren’t very relevant.

Clickstream data — a customer’s online behavior — holds powerful predictive information in and of itself, explained founder and CEO Jay Marwaha.

Instead of focusing on demographics — such as age, geographical location, gender or race — Syntasa’s algorithm analyzes a user’s in-real-time behavior and pools from the clickstream data aggregated over time to dress their profile.

The process is called behavioral segmentation.

“We can look at the patterns of their behavior and predict their journey,” said Marwaha. “Behavioral segmentation is more dynamic, because your behavior might change tomorrow.”

Through that process, Syntasa helps companies predict customer retention, acquisition and buying patterns. It can even predict if a buyer is about to cancel their purchase.

Syntasa’s cheaper, more intuitive version of consumer data analytics is sold on a subscription base to large retailers, news organizations, financial services companies and high technology firms, including corporations such as Lowe’s, Lenovo and Microsoft, Marwaha said.

Formerly called ABSi, Syntasa spun off in 2012 from ABSC, a cybersecurity analytics firm and intelligence contractor that was founded by Marwaha shortly after 9/11.

Marwaha had worked in the private sector for years and landed as a VP for American Express on Wall Street.

On that day, the twin towers came crashing down “in front of my eyes,” he said. “Some of my very close friends were in those buildings.”

Soon after, he left the banking industry to launch ABSC, a cybersecurity company that also analyzes online behaviors, but to identify security risks for government agencies.

“There needed to be some change,” said Marwaha. “And I had the desire to come to D.C., to be able to provide some kind of service to secure our nation.”

Despite declining defense budgets in recent years, ABSC company has grown at a healthy clip, he said. “There’s always these new threats that come and we’re able to expand our services.” It employs more than 200 people in Herndon.


Based in the same city, ABSC’s commercial affiliate Syntasa has a full-time staff of 42 and is in the process of hiring 10 to 15 more, Marwaha said.

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