Clay, a New York based AI platform for sales and marketing teams, is raising a new funding round led by Wellington Management at a pre money valuation of $7 billion, Axios reported on August 31, 2026, citing people familiar with the deal. Terms of the round, including the total amount raised, were not disclosed.
Clay was cofounded in 2017 by Kareem Amin and Nicolae Rusan. The company's AI platform helps revenue and go to market teams automate personalized outreach, enrich lead data from dozens of sources, and build customer profiles for growth and sales operations teams. Clay has grown quickly this year, crossing $100 million in annual recurring revenue after scaling from roughly $1 million in ARR two years earlier.
The new valuation continues a rapid climb for the company. Clay was valued at $3.1 billion following a Series C round led by CapitalG in August 2025. An employee tender offer led by DST Global pushed that figure to $5 billion by January 2026. The Wellington led round announced this week values Clay at $7 billion pre money, more than double its valuation from earlier this year.
The jump reflects continued investor demand for AI tools built specifically for sales and marketing teams, a category that has drawn heavy venture funding as companies look to automate prospecting, lead scoring and outreach at scale. Clay's growth has outpaced many peers in the crowded AI go to market software market, positioning the company among the most highly valued private AI startups focused on revenue operations.
Source: Axios - https://www.axios.com/pro/all-deals/2026/08/31/clay-7-billion-pre-money-valuation