Short video clips from podcasts, songs, and movies are currently popular on social media, becoming a cost-effective marketing tool for brands. These companies often outsource video ‘clipping’ to independent creators, but managing these workers and video distribution poses challenges.
Clouted, a startup from a16z’s Speedrun accelerator in 2024, offers infrastructure to automate the distribution and logistics of clipping. It engages over 100,000 gig creators for editing and utilizes AI to match clips with the best platforms and audiences.
Co-founder and CEO Justin Banusing initially used Clouted for promoting &Friends, a Manila-based festival that now draws over 20,000 attendees. The startup secured a $7 million seed round led by Slow Ventures with other investors.
Clouted’s AI doesn’t just focus on volume but continuously tests different formats and strategies to improve campaign effectiveness based on what’s successful. It operates like social media penetration testing, continuously refining its approach to trigger viral content.
Banusing highlighted that each campaign enhances the next, learning which formats and channels are most effective. While competing with similar startups like Overlap AI, Clouted sees larger players like CreatorIQ and Hightouch as its main competition, aiming to grow within the expanding enterprise marketing infrastructure space.