Startup that makes easy-to-use artificial intelligence applications raises $30 m
Source: Matthew Flamm
Clarifai's algorithms can instantly help users what they're looking for.
Clarifai, whose visual recognition software can instantly sort through a travel website's millions of hotel photos, has raised $30 million in a Series B round. The Flatiron-district-based startup plans to use the money to further its development of low-cost and easy-to-use artificial intelligence applications.
Silicon Valley stalwart Menlo Ventures led the round, with participation from existing investors, including Union Square Ventures, Lux Capital and Qualcomm Ventures. Founded in 2013, Clarifai has so far raised a total of $41 million.
"We've launched new products that move us in this direction of personalizing AI and getting away from this one-size-fits-all approach," said Clarifai founder and CEO Matt Zeiler in an interview. "Our whole road map is built around that. The only roadblock has been the number of people on the team."
He expects to hire researchers, data scientists, engineers and salespeople, and may more than double the company's head count over the next year from its current total of 33. Clarifai will also be looking for a new Manhattan headquarters that is at least twice the size of its existing 6,500-square-foot space on East 23rd Street near Park Avenue South.
A computer science Ph.D. who specialized in machine learning, Zeiler has focused on simplifying AI into just a few lines of code. That helps make Clarifai's products usable without the help of massive amounts of computing power.
The company's clients include travel site Trivago, news site BuzzFeed, stock photo marketplace 500px and commenting platform Disqus.
Clarifai's algorithms can instantly "read" photos or videos, catalogue images to help users find what they're looking for, or identify offensive content, whether it involves weapons, illegal substances or pornography on sites.
Recent launches that help further democratize AI include a tool that allows a user to take a picture of a flower, for instance, and then search for it on a gardening website.
"You'll see all the different gardens that have that same flower—without saying a word or knowing the species of flower," Zeiler said. "It really broadens the scope of how Clarifai's technology can get into everybody's hands, which is our goal long-term."
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