Clado

Based in San Francisco, California, Clado develops an AI-powered people search engine designed to automate tedious recruiting, sales, and enterprise hiring workflows. The platform utilizes a network of over 100,000 artificial intelligence agents to aggregate and analyze more than 800 million professional profiles for its corporate clients. Backed by investors including Y Combinator, Valor Equity Partners, and Salesforce executive David Schmaier, the company provides usage-based access to major talent-matching organizations like Turing and Mercor. Operating with a team of seven employees, the startup recently raised a $2 million seed round through simple agreements for future equity and completed a $3 million all-stock acquisition of Jaimy. Following its pivot to enterprise customers and official launch in May 2025, the platform has reported 60 percent month-over-month growth. Clado was founded in 2025 by Eric Mao and Tom Zheng.

High-Level Overview

Clado is a cutting-edge AI-powered people search platform designed to enable deep, precise research of professionals, researchers, and experts across industries. It builds an advanced search algorithm that prioritizes human interactions, experiences, and complex criteria beyond traditional keyword matching, delivering enriched profiles with verified contact information. Clado serves recruiters, business development teams, and organizations seeking highly specific talent or expertise, addressing inefficiencies in traditional professional networking and recruitment. Its AI agents analyze millions of profiles to provide a research experience akin to having a dedicated team, enhancing talent discovery and outreach efficiency[1][3][5].

Origin Story

Founded in 2025 by Tom Zheng (UCSD), Eric Mao (UPenn M&T), and Kia Yang, Clado emerged from a lifelong friendship and shared passion for technology between Eric and Tom, who began collaborating in elementary school. The idea originated from their desire to transform how companies find and hire talent by automating and improving the search process with AI. Early traction included securing seed funding from Y Combinator (YC X25) and Valor Equity Partners, and a pivotal moment was acquiring the network graph engine Jaimy from fellow UPenn alumni, which significantly enhanced Clado’s ability to map relationships between people and companies. This acquisition and the team’s pivot to enterprise use cases convinced YC partners to support the startup[2][4][5].

Core Differentiators

• Unique AI-Driven Search Model: Clado deploys over 100,000 AI agents that read, reason, and rank individuals based on nuanced, user-defined criteria, surpassing traditional keyword-based searches[1][3][5].
• Network Graph Integration: The acquisition of Jaimy’s network graph engine allows Clado to identify complex relationships such as overlapping work history, shared skills, and open-source contributions, providing richer context for candidate discovery[4].
• Superior Data Enrichment: Clado offers state-of-the-art email and phone number enrichment, verified and benchmarked to outperform competitors, facilitating direct outreach[1][3][5].
• API Access and Integration: The platform supports integration with existing systems, enhancing workflow efficiency for recruiters and business teams[1].
• High Benchmark Performance: Independent benchmarks confirm Clado’s search and contact retrieval capabilities as state-of-the-art, making it a reliable tool for deep research[5].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Clado rides the growing trend of AI-powered talent intelligence and recruitment automation, addressing the increasing complexity of professional networks and the demand for precise, scalable people search solutions. The timing is critical as companies face talent shortages and require tools that go beyond superficial keyword matching to identify hidden skills and connections. Market forces such as the rise of remote work, global talent pools, and data-driven HR practices favor platforms like Clado that combine AI with network graph technology. By enabling more efficient and insightful talent discovery, Clado influences the broader ecosystem by setting new standards for people search and recruitment intelligence[1][4][5].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Clado is poised to expand its user base across diverse sectors such as AI, Web3, biotech, and finance, leveraging its advanced AI and network graph capabilities to deepen its market penetration. Trends shaping its journey include increasing reliance on AI for HR and sales intelligence, growing demand for enriched and actionable data, and the integration of agentic AI systems that autonomously perform complex research tasks. Clado’s influence is likely to evolve from a niche search tool to a foundational platform for talent intelligence, potentially integrating more deeply with enterprise workflows and expanding its data sources to maintain a competitive edge. Its mission to make people search as effortless and insightful as possible ties back to its founding vision of transforming hiring and networking through technology[2][4][5].