Clout Kitchen raises $4.45M from a16z SPEEDRUN, Peak XV’s Surge, & AppWorks to build ‘AI twins’ of top creators like Tyler1, Emiru

LOS ANGELES, USA, October 04, 2024 – Clout Kitchen, a consumer AI startup with operations in Los  Angeles and Manila, today announced its $4.45 million seed funding round. 

The round was co-led by a16z SPEEDRUN and Peak XV’s Surge – with participation from Taiwan’s  AppWorks, Antler, Hustle Fund, Founders Launchpad, Orvel Ventures, and founders & creators like  Gabby Dizon (YGG), Kun Gao (Crunchyroll), Voyboy, Jankos and Perkz. 

Established in 2024, Clout Kitchen builds creator-powered interactive experiences in gaming and pop  culture that unlock new ways for top creators to engage and expand their fan base.  

Clout Kitchen is led by serial gaming and creator economy builders.  

• Justin Gorriceta-Banusing (CEO) founded and scaled AcadArena (SEA and LatAm’s leading  campus gaming platform) to series A and an exit while in college. In high school, they built  CONQuest Festival – the largest creator event in SEA with 80K+ attendees.  
• Marcel Feldkamp (CBO) was a pioneering League of Legends pro/creator, playing in the 2013  World Championship. After retiring, he founded the gaming talent agency Prime – who later  joined United Talent Agency via Press X. 

Clout Kitchen’s first product is Backseat AI, an in-game “buddy” for League of Legends co-built with  Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp – one of the world’s biggest gaming content creators with over 20 million  followers. Backseat AI is Riot-compliant and guides players on how to best play the game in real-time – from what characters to pick to which items to buy, all by an AI voice twin of their favorite creator. Since  launching early access testing in June, the product has hit over 45,000 waitlist signups.  

“Our thesis at Clout Kitchen is to build things that grow the pie and add value for fans, creators, and game  developers alike,” said Justin Banusing, CEO, Clout Kitchen. “We grew up in this space, so it’s our way  of giving back.”

Pricing starts at US$4.99 monthly for each creator “buddy,” who earns from every subscription. Backseat  AI’s buddies roster continues to expand with streamer & cosplayer Emiru and pro player Jankos – with  more top creators lined up in the coming months. 

“As a creator myself, I know how difficult it is to keep your community and business growing,” said Marcel  Feldkamp, CBO, Clout Kitchen. “It’s easy when you’re starting and have all the time in the world – but it  gets harder to keep giving the same love to everyone as you scale. We want to solve that problem.”  

With this financing round, Clout Kitchen looks to expand Backseat by scaling its team, establishing its US  office, and building out its shared internal tech stack for future creator-powered game companion apps  and experiences.  

“As a gamer and a creator myself, I’m excited to support Justin and Team Clout Kitchen in their journey to  unlock new frontiers for our community,” said Jamie Lin, Chairman & Partner, AppWorks,“ Justin and  the founding team showcased exceptional hearts, heads and hands from the moment we met them, the  very traits we look for in founders.” 

“At a16z, we believe in the transformative power of technology and games to reshape how we connect,  create, and experience the world. Clout Kitchen embodies this vision wholly, and we are thrilled to  support their journey as they pioneer new ways for fans to engage with the creators and games they  love,” said Jack Soslow, Investment Partner, A16Z GAMES.