How Clipbook, an AI-powered PR startup, secured funding from Mark Cuban through an unsolicited email
Clipbook Secures $3 Million in Seed Funding with Support from Mark Cuban
Clipbook, an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to help organizations track their media presence, has successfully raised $3 million in seed funding. The investment round was jointly led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures, and Carpenter Capital.
This funding milestone was achieved after Clipbook’s founder, Adam Joseph, took a bold step by sending an unsolicited email pitch—a move he doubted would get noticed, as he shared with TechCrunch.
Joseph established Clipbook in 2023 and managed to grow the company to $1 million in annual recurring revenue without outside funding. After reaching this milestone, he decided it was time to seek investors to accelerate growth.
“I made a shortlist of the world’s top five media-focused investors,” Joseph recounted. Clipbook leverages AI to help businesses monitor what’s being said about them and their competitors across news outlets, podcasts, and social platforms. Joseph wanted backers who truly understood the media landscape.
Mark Cuban—renowned for founding media ventures, starring on “Shark Tank,” authoring books, producing films, and frequent TV appearances—topped Joseph’s list.
One night in late 2024, Joseph, seeking a bit of courage, sent a concise investment proposal via cold email to each person on his list, without any prior introductions.
Of all the recipients, only Cuban replied. Despite his busy schedule and the flood of pitches he receives, Cuban still personally reviews his emails, always on the lookout for promising opportunities. “I’ve invested tens of millions of dollars based on cold emails, and many have turned into unicorns,” Cuban told TechCrunch, explaining his decision to respond to Clipbook.
Before committing, Cuban put Joseph through a rigorous vetting process. His initial reply was filled with probing questions, Joseph recalled.
Cuban acknowledged that this tough questioning is something he’s known for on “Shark Tank.”
“When I start grilling founders, many falter or get defensive—it’s their passion project, after all,” Cuban said. “But Adam handled every question directly and confidently.”
Image Credits: TechCrunch
Once Joseph had addressed all of Cuban’s concerns, Cuban asked him to demonstrate Clipbook’s capabilities by generating a media report for CostPlus Drugs, Cuban’s own online pharmacy and public benefit corporation launched in 2022, which offers medications at cost plus a 15% margin.
“Conducting PR and market research, tracking competitors, and understanding public sentiment about your own business is a real challenge,” Cuban noted.
Standing Out in a Crowded Field
Clipbook faces competition from established players like Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Emplify, and Hootsuite. However, Joseph argues that Clipbook is unique because it was designed from the outset as an AI-native solution. Rather than simply searching for keywords, the platform interprets the context in which terms are used. For example, it can distinguish between general mentions of “cost” and “drugs” and specific references to CostPlus Drugs, or differentiate between various individuals named “Adam Joseph.”
Joseph also highlights that being truly AI-native enables Clipbook to analyze sources that competitors often miss, such as audio and video content from podcasts. His inspiration for building Clipbook came from his own experience managing PR for Boston Consulting Group, where he encountered the challenges of media analysis firsthand.
Joseph quickly delivered a comprehensive report for Cuban, accurately identifying relevant media mentions. Cuban was particularly impressed when the report surfaced a previously unknown podcast discussion about pharmacy benefit services.
After several days of negotiations, Cuban offered Joseph a term sheet. The initial phase of the seed round closed in early 2025, with additional investors joining in the following months.
While Joseph declined to disclose updated revenue numbers since the seed round, he confirmed that the company’s growth has continued. Clipbook now serves 200 clients, including Weber Shandwick and Boston Consulting Group, Joseph’s former employer.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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