Clipto leverages AI to revolutionize file search, hits $250m valuation

Clipto, a San Francisco-based startup, has achieved a $250 million post-money valuation following a $15 million all-equity funding round. The company uses AI to index and search through vast amounts of video, audio, images, and documents, offering users an alternative to traditional file management. Founded in 2023 by Henry Kang, Clipto aims to address the growing challenge of managing digital content, a problem Kang has tackled for over two decades, starting with AI-powered closet organization and later video creation tools. Kang emphasized that the AI era is marked by an abundance of content rather than a shortage, highlighting Clipto's focus on helping users find and reuse existing files. The company now serves a diverse user base, including professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and researchers, with over 30 million users and hundreds of thousands of paying subscribers. Clipto reported $15 million in annual recurring revenue at the start of 2026 and remains profitable. The startup recently integrated the Model Context Protocol, allowing AI tools like ChatGPT to access indexed data with user authorization. Kang believes combining search and AI tools in one platform will help Clipto compete with larger tech firms like Adobe, Apple, and Google, which offer similar features within their own ecosystems.