Automattic acquires relationship manager Clay to add an identity layer to online tools

Summary

After acquiring 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 terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Clay had so far raised over $9 million in venture 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. Clay’s software, launched in 2021, is something of a smarter address book or personal CRM, letting users organize the people they know and keep up with their latest updates by pulling in data from services like LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp and X, as well as address books and calendars. Image Credits:Clay You can use the app to keep up with things you want to know about people, like job changes, relocations, updated bios, recent social posts, and more. Clay also lets you add notes to address book entries, so you can note how and when you met, or the names of their kids, for instance. A timeline for each entry shows when notes were added, the last time you reached out, 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 particular company, or who you should connect with when visiting New York. Beyond that, the AI bot is meant to integrate with your daily workflow. As part of the acquisition, which closed last week, Clay’s small team, including its co-founders Zachary Hamed and Matthew Achariam, is joining Automattic. “Our mission […] is to help with relationships and increase conscientiousness,” Achariam said. “That’s always been our North Star, and all the features […] reinforce that by bringing these different aspects of relationship management into one platform and one tool.” Image Credits:Clay Automattic said it made sense to buy Clay because of its ability to be integrated into the company’...