Clouted aims to remove the guesswork from creating viral short-form videos

Short-form video clips taken from podcasts, songs, movies, and other content have become increasingly common across social media platforms, and their rise is no coincidence. Companies have recognised that these bite-sized videos provide an efficient and relatively inexpensive way to attract attention and market products to large audiences.

To create these clips, brands and marketing agencies frequently rely on independent creators who specialise in selecting the most engaging 30- to 90-second segments from longer videos, a process commonly known as “clipping.” However, coordinating large numbers of freelance creators while also deciding where and how those clips should be distributed can become a significant operational challenge.

Clouted, a startup that participated in a16z’s Speedrun accelerator program in 2024, is developing infrastructure designed to automate both the logistics of clipping and the strategy behind content distribution. The company leverages a network of more than 100,000 gig creators to edit short-form videos, then applies artificial intelligence to determine which social media platforms and audience segments are most likely to drive strong engagement.

Justin Banusing, Clouted’s co-founder and CEO, initially used the company’s technology to support one of his personal interests: electronic music and festival production. A longtime DJ, Banusing relied on Clouted to help promote and expand &Friends, an electronic dance music and pop-culture festival based in Manila that now attracts more than 20,000 attendees.

The startup’s model has also gained attention from investors. Clouted recently announced the closing of a $7 million seed funding round led by Slow Ventures. Additional participants in the round included Gold House Ventures, Weekend Fund, Peak XV’s Surge, and several other investors.

Rather than focusing solely on generating large volumes of clips, Clouted emphasises optimisation through continuous experimentation. Its AI system constantly tests different video formats, messaging approaches, and distribution channels to determine which combinations perform most effectively. As more campaigns are executed, the platform gathers additional data that helps refine future recommendations, making subsequent campaigns increasingly targeted and efficient.

The company compares its methodology to penetration testing in cybersecurity, where experts probe and challenge a system’s defences to uncover weaknesses. Instead of searching for security vulnerabilities, Clouted’s AI and creator network evaluate thousands of clipping styles and distribution tactics to discover which factors are most likely to push content toward viral success.

“The result is that every campaign Clouted runs makes the next one faster, smarter, and more effective,” Banusing said. “The platform learns which formats win, which audiences convert, and which distribution channels compound over time.”

Although Clouted competes with companies such as Overlap AI in the automated clipping market, Banusing views larger marketing infrastructure firms as the company’s long-term competitors. He specifically pointed to CreatorIQ and Hightouch as examples of the broader category Clouted hopes to enter. Hightouch recently surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue, underscoring the size and continued growth of the enterprise marketing infrastructure sector Clouted aims to serve.