Ajay Gupta - Founder and CEO - Stirista

Ajay Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Stirista (often phonetically similar to "Sistra" in queries), a San Antonio, Texas-based data-driven marketing and identity solutions company specializing in combining identity-level data, email marketing, digital execution (including DSP ownership), and multichannel campaigns to help brands and agencies acquire, activate, and retain customers.He founded Stirista in 2009/2010 at age 26, starting as a two-person operation in a small San Francisco apartment without external funding. Under his leadership, it has grown rapidly into a full-service provider serving Fortune 500 companies, agencies, and SMBs—expanding to nearly 100 employees across three continents, earning spots on the Inc. 5000 list (fastest-growing private companies), Ad Age's Best Places to Work, DMA awards (e.g., Silver ECHO for Best Retail Campaign), and other recognitions.Gupta is a thought leader in performance marketing, personalized campaigns, data transparency, email/bot fraud prevention, and blending data with storytelling. He's a Forbes Agency Council member, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) inductee, judge for industry awards, former San Antonio Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, and Marketing EDGE Rising Star. He contributes articles to publications like Ad Age and appears on podcasts/radio.Born and raised in a small city in India (no phone until age 12), he holds a degree from Texas State University, is bilingual (English/Hindi), and is based in San Antonio. He's active on X as @realAjayGupta, sharing marketing insights and company updates.