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The story of ClipDrop according to ChatGPT
Origins & Founding
ClipDrop was developed by the French startup Init ML, co-founded by Cyril Diagne, Jonathan Blanchet, and Damien Henry in 2020.
Source: ClipDrop / Init ML
The concept grew out of computer-vision and AR research. In March 2020, Diagne’s “AR Cut Paste” prototype went viral and demonstrated real-world object capture and transfer between devices using computer vision.
Source: AR Cut Paste prototype (Medium)
The founding team brought experience from Google Arts & Culture Lab, interaction design, and machine learning research.
Source: Y Combinator company page
Product Concept & Early Evolution
Initial vision: compress a multi-step visual workflow (photo shoot → transfer → edit → background removal) into a near-instant “point, capture, drop” experience.
Key early characteristics:
- Capture objects from the physical world and paste them directly into desktop applications.
- Automatic background removal and clean cut-outs suitable for marketing and product visuals.
- Cross-device support (mobile and desktop).
Sources:
Over 2021–2022, ClipDrop evolved from a single “cut-paste” feature into a full AI-first visual toolkit:
- Background removal
- Object removal
- Image upscaling
- Relighting (using depth maps and surface normals)
- Text-to-image and generative tools
Sources:
Funding & Growth Milestones
- Winter 2021: Joined Y Combinator (W21 batch), giving global visibility and acceleration.
Source: Y Combinator
- August 2021: Raised a seed round of about €1.2 million to expand research and product development.
Source: EU-Startups
- 2021 reporting: Medium post references a US$1.5 million raise to “reinvent AI-first photo editing.”
Source: Medium funding announcement
- Aggregated trackers list total funding around US$1.5–1.54 million over its early rounds.
Source: Tracxn profile
User & Usage Metrics
- By mid-2021: Reports indicate 5 million clips created in six months, signaling strong early engagement.
Source: EU-Startups
- Team size in the early stage is listed around 5 people.
Source: Y Combinator
- By February 2024 (Jasper acquisition): ClipDrop is reported at over 15 million users.
Source: Reuters on Jasper acquisition
These numbers validate strong product-market fit in the creator, e-commerce, and marketing ecosystems.
Technology & Product Expansion
ClipDrop evolved into a multi-feature AI visual platform:
- Background Removal: Fast object extraction for product imagery and design assets.
- Object Removal & Cleanup: Remove unwanted elements from scenes for cleaner visuals.
- Relight: Adjust lighting using depth estimation and surface normals for realistic edits.
- Upscale: Enhance resolution for sharper marketing assets.
- Text-to-Image & Generative Tools: Generate images from prompts, branding use cases, and creative concepts.
- APIs: Programmatic access for platforms, marketplaces, and creative tools.
Sources:
Acquisitions & Ownership
- Stability AI acquisition (March 2023)
Stability AI (known for Stable Diffusion) acquired Init ML, integrating ClipDrop’s technology into its generative imaging ecosystem.
Sources:
- Jasper AI acquisition (February 22, 2024)
Jasper acquired ClipDrop from Stability AI to strengthen its multimodal content suite and connect image generation/editing with its writing and marketing workflows.
ClipDrop’s reported 15M+ users at this point signaled strong adoption.
Source: Reuters
This trajectory shows ClipDrop’s technology as strategically important in the broader generative AI stack.
Timeline of Key Milestones
Date | Milestone | Source |
March 2020 | AR Cut Paste prototype goes viral | |
July 2020 | Init ML / ClipDrop founded | |
Winter 2021 | Joins Y Combinator W21 | |
Aug 2021 | Raises ~€1.2m seed | |
2021–2022 | Launches Relight, Upscale, other AI tools | |
March 2023 | Acquired by Stability AI | |
Feb 22, 2024 | Acquired by Jasper AI; 15M+ users reported |
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