Generative AI has increased content creation, making content management challenging. With the rapid accumulation of videos, recordings, and documents, companies like Adobe, Apple, Google, and various startups are leveraging AI to enable search functionality for these files. The future of this capability—whether it will evolve into a distinct software category or be integrated as a standard feature within existing products—remains uncertain.
Clipto believes a dedicated product for this purpose can thrive. The startup, based in San Francisco with additional teams in Singapore and Hong Kong, recently secured $15 million in an all-equity funding round, valuing the company at $250 million post-investment. Notable investors participating include HSG (previously Sequoia China), GL Ventures, EnvisionX Capital, Palm Drive Capital, Hans Tung, Lu Zhang, and 522 Ventures.
Clipto organizes and catalogs various files such as videos, audio, images, and meeting recordings stored on a user’s computer. This eliminates the need for manual folder navigation, allowing users to locate content by simply describing their requirements or by using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude for assistance.
Henry Kang, the founder of Clipto, has dedicated approximately two decades to solving similar challenges. Kang recounted that during his PhD studies at Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, his work involved developing robots capable of documenting their environment, recognizing objects, and recalling their locations. He subsequently applied this fundamental concept to his initial startup, which utilized AI to manage a user’s wardrobe and offer outfit recommendations. His second venture, ZenVideo, specialized in streamlining video production and was acquired by Tencent in 2020, as reported by Kang to TechCrunch.
“The core realization is that in this age of AI, we are not facing a scarcity of content,” Kang stated. “In fact, the opposite holds true. We are overwhelmed with content. There’s an abundance of video footage on our computers that goes unutilized.”
Building upon this observation, Kang established Clipto in 2023, collaborating with several key individuals from his prior startup’s founding team. Unlike other AI firms concentrating on creating novel content, Clipto’s mission was to empower users to locate and repurpose their existing files.
Initially, Clipto developed its offering for video creators grappling with footage spread across multiple computers and external storage devices. However, Kang noted that creators now represent only about 25% to 33% of its user base. The remaining users comprise a diverse group, including legal professionals, medical practitioners, academics, marketing specialists, HR personnel, educators, and students.
The company reports that over 30 million individuals have engaged with its products since their introduction, and it currently serves hundreds of thousands of paying subscribers. While Kang refrained from disclosing a more exact subscriber figure or average revenue per customer, he did mention that a substantial segment of its clientele maintains their subscriptions for over two years.
Clipto achieved $15 million in annual recurring revenue early in 2026 and continues to operate profitably on a net-income basis, according to Kang. The company employs just over 20 people, distributed across the San Francisco Bay Area, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Approximately two weeks prior, Clipto incorporated support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a standard facilitating the connection of AI applications to external data sources. Kang clarified that accessing indexed files necessitates the user’s explicit request and permission. When an AI application interacts with Clipto’s indexed data, it is restricted to retrieving information solely within the parameters defined by the user. Furthermore, Kang noted that all such processing occurs directly on the user’s device, eliminating the need for cloud services.
Clipto is entering a competitive market largely dominated by established companies that manage significant portions of user data and software. For instance, Adobe provides AI-driven search capabilities within Premiere, and both Apple Photos and Google Photos enable users to locate images and videos using natural language queries.
Kang highlighted Clipto’s ability to search across various content types, including videos, audio, images, and documents, a broader scope compared to Adobe, Apple, and Google’s products, which typically concentrate on files within their respective ecosystems. Additionally, Clipto empowers users to share specific information with AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. The company’s strategy is to leverage this comprehensive functionality to effectively contend with larger platform providers.
According to Kang, the recently secured funding will be allocated towards developing the AI models and computing infrastructure required for Clipto to operate efficiently on consumer devices, alongside fostering integrations with an expanded array of AI agents.