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 03, 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.”

LOS ANGELES, USA, October 03, 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.

"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.

Karofi Enters Philippines, Launches Pilot Store at Robinsons Magnolia

Water from the faucet or tap in the Philippines is not safe for drinking, and the quality of the water does not meet the standards set by the national government, especially in urban areas.

Data from the United Nations and Unicef showed that a majority, 53 percent of households in the Philippines do not have access to a safely managed water supply, with 48 percent of the population receiving safely managed or piped water services. The situation in schools is even more severe, with 55 percent lacking access to pure and healthy water.

The lack of access to essential water and sanitation services among a large part of the Philippine population results in illness, malnutrition, and childhood stunting. Indeed, nearly one-third of Filipino children suffer from stunting.

Indeed, according to the 2022 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS), more than half of the population source their drinking water from water filter system and bottled water (54.3 percent). But this comes at a cost, with Filipino consumers spending up to P7,000 in monthly water filter system expenses.

Karofi Water Purifier, a global brand and one of the world’s best water purifiers for home that is present in 50 countries, was honored as one of the "Top 10 ASEAN Strong Brands 2024" at the 8th Edition of the ASEAN Strong Brand Announcement Ceremony 2024, is expanding in the Philippines with a pilot store at Robinsons Magnolia Mall. The honor is a testament to Karofi's research and development efforts to fulfill its mission "to ensure the healthy life for everyone in the water and air environment of our beautiful green planet."

Karofi will launch a pilot store at Robinsons Magnolia Mall on September 8, giving Filipinos access to the most advanced water filtration technology and cheap water filters, the SMAX Pro V. This technology removes 99.99 percent of bacteria and provides good-tasting, alkaline, and hydrogen-induced quality water.

“Karofi was established with a mission to protect and enhance every people's health in any environment. We have a mission to protect the water we drink and we are now one of the leading brands globally with a presence in 50 countries. We should all live beautifully,” said Karofi chief customer officer Huong Elly in his speech.

Actress Coleen Garcia, the official endorser of Karofi Water Purifier, said she is elated by her partnership with the brand. “I am excited to be here today. I have been using water purifiers for a long time because we are trying to minimize our use of plastic bottles [which clogs the drainage system and adds to global warming]. I have been loving Karofi water filters so far, and I like their new counter top water purifier with hot and cold water functionalities at the turn of a knob. Plus, the water quality tastes so good, in addition to being so healthy.”

She went on, “Water is a basic necessity and we consume it on a daily basis. We have to make sure that the water we provide our family is of maximum quality. Karofi's water purifiers offer the most health benefits, with the safest and healthiest features. I am so impressed.”

Meanwhile, Elly explained that hydrogen neutralizes and alkaline water fights oxidants and free radicals for healthy cells and bodies. Karofi's cheap water filter system will enable Filipinos to drink water directly from the tap without the need to boil it or buy it from refilling stations or bottled water. It is the best cheap water filter in the market.

Karofi’s water purifier filters also use Nano Silver, which kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms, including pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi, but causes little to no damage to the human body. Nano Silver prevents re-infection when water circulates in the filter system.

"The economics of the water purifier are better. Karofi's water filters have hydrogen and alkaline for better health, safe and clean water to prepare milk for babies, and a safe water source that meets the standards set by the Philippine National Standard for Drinking Water and regulator of FDA Certified Water Filters," Karofi said.

In addition, Karofi's water purifiers could reduce the cost of clean drinking water to only between P1,000 and P1,500 in six to eight months.

Garcia highlighted the health benefits of alkaline water in the body, but added sometimes it is a challenge where to buy alkaline water. “This gives us more reason to try Karofi water purifiers because of its quality. The questions you may ask yourselves are “Is the water purifier safe?” and How to install [Karofi] water filter?” The answers are, yes, water purifiers are safe, and it's easy to install them,” she added.

“Karofi is the best water purifier for home,” Garcia stated.

Clean drinking water

Potable drinking water is an everyday necessity. Most consumers are very meticulous in choosing the kind of water they drink and give their young children, preferring alkaline water or pure distilled water.

Karofi has successfully developed advanced SMAX water filtration technology with double efficiency and is the pioneering water purifier brand integrating Industry 4.0 technologies into water purifiers (comprehensive water quality control technology on AioTec smartphones; voice-activated water collection technology VoiceCall).

Karofi is the only brand certified for pure drinking water, standard bottled water QCVN 6-1:2010/MOH, from the Institute of Occupational Health & the Environment, making one of the best water purifiers for home in the Philippines.

Integrating modern 4.0 technologies into water purifiers gives Karofi users convenient access to safe and clean water. The technologies include VoiceCall technology, which allows voice-activated water pouring; AioTec technology, which enables smartphone users to control water quality; touch-screen water collection technology, and quick hot and deeply cold technology.

The unique innovation allows users to monitor Karofi's water quality using smartphones.

Karofi key features:

Reliable quality—Karofi water purifiers have a multi-level water treatment process to ensure that water is free from bacteria, visible particles, foul odor and, taste, etc. The water coming out from the filtration system is visually crystal clear. The water is guaranteed safe for drinking for adults, but most especially for babies and young children.

Superior technology - With its optimum performance, Karofi water purifiers offer 50 percent cost savings on power. Its energy efficiency promises quick heating and cooling.

11 SMAX filters, HP 6.0—Guaranteed good water quality. The filter technology and the HP 6 feature mean that it has alkaline-like quality water and assures the removal of 99.99 percent of bacteria. The water quality is recommended to be safe for infants and young children. It is also odorless and good-tasting, with a hint of sweetness or citrus flavor.

Peace of mind—You are secure that the water you and your family drink is clean and safe and will not cause sickness. Avoiding hospitalization and medical costs can save you plenty of money from Karofi’s cheap water filter system. 

Healthier choice—Switching to Karofi water purifiers from a water refilling station offers consumers the best life without the worry of acquiring water-borne diseases like diarrhea or stomach discomfort. A healthy family will provide consumers with financial stability and security while allowing families to spend more time together. In addition , alkaline water purifier is good for the skin. 

Optimizes convenience - You can have unlimited clean, safe and fresh water at home anytime. You do not need to order from water refilling stations.

Value for money - Users of Karofi water purifiers spend between P1,500 and P2,000 every six months to change filters. Sometimes, it is even less if the water from the source is cleaner. Spending P1,500 – P2,000 every six to eight months is more affordable than per-gallon expenses from water refilling stations or buying bottled water. 

FDA-approved and certified, with a 36-month warranty.

A Showdown to Remember: Red Bull Dance Your Style Spotlights Top Filipino Dance Talents, Names Klockwise as National Champion

Champion

Christopher Sy / Red Bull Content Pool

Manila, Philippines — The energy was electric as the nation’s top dancers gathered to compete in the highly anticipated Red Bull Dance Your Style Philippines National Finals. This year’s competition, which took place at the Kilometer Zero - Rizal Park in Luneta last September 28, was a thrilling spectacle of talent, skill, and passion that left the crowd at the edge of their seats. 

Red Bull Dance Your Style is a renowned global 1-on-1 street dance competition where dancers show off their freestyle and improvisation skills. Unlike typical dance competitions where a panel of judges is present, with Red Bull Dance Your Style, the audience wields the power to decide the winner. This makes for a more intense dance battle, where dancers unleash their prowess to captivate the audience.

Following a successful series of regional qualifiers, the Red Bull Dance Your Style Philippines National Finals brought together 16 crème de la crème of dance talents from all over the country. The competition was fierce, with each dancer pushing the boundaries of talent and creativity. 

After several rounds of intense battles, it was down to the top 4 finalists: Klockwise, MSTR PIECE, JXYB, and Nemesis to compete for the top spot. In the end, it was locking master Klockwise (Kenneth Martinez), who emerged victorious. He danced his way to the top, captivating the audience throughout the competition. He masterfully injected theatricality with his “campbellock” or “locking” freestyle performances, showcasing a masterclass in style and skill, earning him the well-deserved trophy and a ticket to the World Finals as the exclusive representative of the Philippines.

“I’m so happy,” said the elated National Champion of his win. “I’ve gone through a lot from the Manila qualifiers, to the finals. I’m so grateful that I got to experience this. Thank you, Red Bull. Thank you to the whole dance community.”

Hailing from Valenzuela, Klockwise has continuously honed his craft with unlimited determination through countless rehearsals and competitions, always pushing to grow his talent and learn new skills.

Christopher Sy / Red Bull Content Pool

Klockwise disclosed that his personal competition highlight was his battle round with Ponla during the Top 8 battle round. He said, “That time, I felt lighter and my nerves were calmer because it was already the middle of the competition.”

He added, “I was getting fired up. I could hear the music so clearly, and I really just wanted to dance.”

On his upcoming journey to the World Finals, Klockwise shared, “I can’t think about it just yet. It might take some time (for it to sink in). But the opportunity is mine, so I will fully grab it. I will happily represent the dance community, and the entire Philippines in the World Finals.”

This year’s National Finals was powered by Xiaomi, 7-Eleven, and New Era as the official event partners. The crowd was treated to a car showcase by Stance Philippines and a truly pinoy-themed performance by Team Tera PH. Morobeats also performed a set, bringing the sounds of Manila’s streets to the stage. Homegrown dance icons, A-TEAM, and the legendary Philippine Allstars also fired up the Red Bull Dance Your Style National Finals stage, making the night even more unforgettable. 

Michael Perfecto / Red Bull Content Pool

With the Red Bull Dance Your Style Philippines officially wrapped up, all eyes now turn to the upcoming Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals in India where the best of the best dancers from around the globe will face off in what promises to be an epic showdown. Klockwise is bound for Mumbai, India as the Philippines’ sole representative to go up against the best dancers from 50 other countries. 

The energy, the excitement, and the stakes will be even higher as fans await to see who will come out on top.

Ready for the ultimate street dance showdown? Keep an eye out on Red Bull Philippines’ social media for more updates. Support Klockwise and follow his journey as he makes his way to the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals, happening on November 9 at Dome, NSCI, in Mumbai, India. 

For more information and updates regarding this year’s season of Red Bull Dance Your Style, visit the official Red Bull website and the following social media pages (Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok )