Clouted wants to take the guesswork out of making short videos go viral

In an era where short video clips from podcasts, songs, and movies dominate social media, brands are quickly adapting to this trend. Recognizing the cost-effectiveness of these engaging snippets for product marketing, many companies are turning to independent creators for help. This process, known as 'clipping', involves selecting the most captivating 30 to 90 seconds of video content. However, managing a team of gig workers and planning effective distribution poses significant operational hurdles. Enter Clouted, a startup that emerged from the a16z Speedrun accelerator in 2024. Clouted is developing a comprehensive platform designed to streamline both the logistics of video clipping and the strategies for distribution. By leveraging a network of over 100,000 gig creators, the startup automates the editing process and employs AI to identify the most suitable social media platforms and target audiences for each video. The journey of Clouted’s co-founder and CEO, Justin Banusing, began with his passion for electronic music and festival production. As an experienced DJ, he utilized Clouted to promote &Friends, a vibrant electronic dance music festival in Manila that now attracts over 20,000 attendees. Clouted has recently garnered significant investor attention, successfully raising $7 million in a seed funding round led by Slow Ventures, with contributions from Gold House Ventures, Weekend Fund, Peak XV’s Surge, and others. What sets Clouted apart from other marketing tools is its focus on more than just accumulating clip counts. Its AI engages in a continuous testing loop, experimenting with various formats and distribution strategies to discover what truly resonates with audiences. This innovative approach allows each campaign to inform the next, enhancing targeting and efficiency as the system gathers insights on successful tactics. Clouted's methodology parallels penetration testing in cybersecurity, where systems are probed for vulnerabilities, but instead aims to uncover the factors that enable content to go viral. "Every campaign Clouted executes makes the next one faster, smarter, and more effective," Banusing shared with TechCrunch. "Our platform learns which formats succeed, which audiences engage, and which distribution channels yield the best results over time." Although Clouted faces competition from similar startups like Overlap AI in the automated clipping sector, Banusing cites larger marketing infrastructure companies, such as CreatorIQ and Hightouch, as the primary competitors. With Hightouch recently surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue, it’s clear that the enterprise marketing infrastructure market is both substantial and continuing to grow—an arena that Clouted aims to thrive in.