Clipto raises $15 million for its local AI search tool
AI search startup Clipto has raised $15 million at a $250 million valuation, proving that local, cross-format file indexing is a highly lucrative alternative to cloud-based search giants.
San Francisco-based startup Clipto has secured $15 million in an all-equity funding round, pushing its post-money valuation to $250 million. The investment round drew participation from HSG, GL Ventures, EnvisionX Capital, Palm Drive Capital, Hans Tung, Lu Zhang, and 522 Ventures. Clipto plans to use the capital to optimize its AI models for consumer hardware and build integrations with more AI agents.
Founded in 2023 by Henry Kang, Clipto indexes local files—including videos, audio, images, and documents—directly on a user's device. The company reached $15 million in annual recurring revenue at the start of 2026 and is profitable on a net-income basis. It has attracted over 30 million users since its launch, including hundreds of thousands of paying subscribers. While initially designed for video creators, who now make up about a third of its user base, the software is also widely used by lawyers, researchers, and educators.
For practitioners, Clipto offers a way to search through massive local archives using natural language or third-party AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. Unlike platform-specific search tools from Adobe, Apple, or Google, Clipto operates across multiple formats and runs entirely locally to protect privacy. The startup recently integrated the Model Context Protocol, allowing users to securely connect their indexed files to external AI applications. Kang noted that "we have too much content" sitting unused on hard drives, and Clipto aims to make those idle assets instantly retrievable.
This is our own summary of reporting by TechCrunch AI
