INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
After getting universal messaging apps Beeper and Texts.com, WordPress.com owner Automattic has added another communication-focused startup
to its lineup: relationship-management app Clay.Financial regards to the deal were not disclosed, however Clay had actually so far raised
over $9 million in equity capital from investors like General Catalyst and Forerunner Ventures
The tool will continue to be supported and will later be integrated with other Automattic products, like Beeper.Clays software application,
launched in 2021, is something of a smarter address book or individual CRM, letting users arrange individuals they know and stay up to date
with their most current updates by drawing in data from services like LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp, and X, along with address books and
calendars.Image Credits: ClayYou can utilize the app to stay up to date with things you would like to know about individuals, like job
modifications, movings, updated bios, recent social posts, and more
Clay likewise lets you include notes to deal with book entries, so you can note how and when you satisfied, or the names of their kids
A timeline for each entry shows when notes were included, the last time you connected, and other times you engaged.The app later built in
AI, adding an AI helper called Nexus that lets you ask questions about your network, like who you know at a specific business, or who you
must connect with when going to New York
Beyond that, the AI bot is indicated to integrate with your daily workflow.As part of the acquisition, which closed last week, Clays little
team, including its co-foundersZachary HamedandMatthew Achariam, is joining Automattics Other Bets Division
This group likewise consists of Beeper and Gravatar.Our mission [] is to assist with relationships and increase conscientiousness, Achariam
Thats always been our North Star, and all the features [] reinforce that by bringing these different elements of relationship management
into one platform and one tool.Image Credits: ClayAutomattic stated it made good sense to buy Clay since of its capability to be
incorporated into the business more comprehensive community, which today consists of the universal chat app Beeper (a merger of the
Texts.com and Beeper acquisitions)
Clays founders, meanwhile, have a sense of a shared mission with Automattic, and appreciate that theyll get to continue to develop their app
(Often, clever address book startups are consumed by their acquirer and after that regretfully unwind.)We are really thrilled about the
longevity element of this, stated Hamed
We believe that this must be something that exists beyond, like, any one company, he added.For Clay, the long-term strategy at Automattic
includes incorporating with Beeper, and ultimately ending up being an identity layer for a range of different tools
Those strategies are not completed, however, nor might Automattic dedicate to an amount of time for that progress
It likewise wouldnt share if Clays pricing is due to change in the future
Presently, the service is a freemium offering, with its paid strategies beginning at $10 each month, or $40 per seat, monthly for
teams.Clays creators stated they believe their worths are similar to Automattics, which is why the deal made sense.One of their main values
is this idea of open source, and the idea that a person of the most effective forces of our life times
And we tend to concur, said Achariam
Clays team is likewise interested in integrating with other open innovations moving forward, like ActivityPub, used by Mastodon, and AT
Protocol, utilized by Bluesky.Clay didnt share any numbers about its user base, however it did state that its app manages over 150 million
The app is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and web.
