New York - Aug 06, 2025 - Clay, a New York-based AI go-to-market (GTM) development platform founded in 2017, announced, that it has raised $100 million in a Series C funding round at a $3.1 billion post-money valuation. Led by Alphabet’s CapitalG, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Meritech Capital, First Round Capital, BoxGroup, Boldstart Ventures, and new investor Sapphire Ventures, the round brings Clay’s total funding to $204 million, following a $40 million Series B in June 2024. The platform integrates data from over 150 sources with AI-driven automation to enable personalized outreach at scale, serving over 5,000 customers like OpenAI, Canva, and Anthropic. The funds will drive product innovation, team expansion, and global growth in the $30 billion sales automation market.
The $100 million Series C, led by CapitalG, follows Clay’s rapid valuation growth from $500 million in June 2024 to $3.1 billion, reflecting strong investor confidence. The funds will support:
- Product Innovation: Enhancing AI research and automation for multi-channel outreach.
- Team Expansion: Doubling the 75-person team with hires in engineering, sales, and customer success.
- Global Market Growth: Opening offices in Europe and Asia to serve international demand.
- Customer Success: Scaling onboarding and support for enterprise clients.
| Funding Round | Amount | Year | Lead Investors | Supporting Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | $8M | 2021 | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Series A | $14M | 2021 | Sequoia Capital | First Round Capital, BoxGroup, Boldstart |
| Series B | $40M | 2024 | Meritech Capital | Sequoia, First Round, BoxGroup, Boldstart |
| Series C | $100M | 2025 | CapitalG | Sequoia, Meritech, First Round, BoxGroup, Boldstart, Sapphire Ventures |
| Total Raised | $204M | – | – | – |
Kareem Amin, CEO, stated, “This funding accelerates our mission to empower growth teams with AI-driven tools that turn ideas into impactful campaigns, faster and at scale.”
Clay’s Technology
Clay’s platform combines data from over 150 sources, including LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and proprietary datasets, with AI-driven research and automation. Key features include:
- Data Enrichment: Aggregates first-party, intent, and third-party data for detailed customer profiles.
- AI-Powered Outreach: Automates personalized email and LinkedIn campaigns, achieving 70% higher response rates.
- Workflow Automation: Streamlines prospecting and lead scoring, reducing manual work by 80%.
- Open API Ecosystem: Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Apollo for seamless adoption.
The 2024 acquisition of Avenue enhanced Clay’s enterprise workflows. With 3x year-over-year revenue growth and 5,000+ customers, Clay is a leader in the $30 billion sales automation market, projected to reach $50 billion by 2030.
Leadership and Expertise
Founded by Kareem Amin, with co-founders Varun Anand and Nicolae Rusan joining in 2021, Clay’s team leverages expertise in AI and sales operations. Amin, a former Twitter product lead, drives the vision, while Anand and Rusan focus on engineering. The 2024 hire of Chief Revenue Officer Sarah Johnson, ex-HubSpot, bolsters enterprise sales. Based in New York, Clay’s 75-person team combines technical innovation with market insights.
Industry Impact and Challenges
The sales automation market is driven by demand for AI-powered efficiency and personalization. Clay’s platform reduces prospecting time by 80% and boosts campaign performance, as seen with clients like Canva. Its Avenue acquisition and open APIs strengthen its position against competitors like Apollo ($1.6 billion valuation) and Lusha ($1.5 billion).
Challenges include CRM integration complexities and competition from Unify and other startups. Clay addresses these with flexible APIs, user-friendly design, and GDPR-compliant infrastructure, ensuring rapid adoption and data security.
Stakeholder Perspectives
Laela Sturdy of CapitalG said, “Clay’s AI-driven approach to GTM is reshaping how growth teams operate, delivering unmatched efficiency and impact.” An OpenAI executive noted, “Clay’s platform has streamlined our outreach, enabling hyper-personalized campaigns.”
Future Outlook
Clay plans to launch predictive lead scoring and generative content tools in Q1 2026, targeting 10,000 customers by 2027. New offices in London and Singapore will support global expansion, positioning Clay to capture growing demand in the sales automation market.
Source : Clay
