About Clay AIR
Clay AIR is a Technology company based in Los Angeles (United States) founded in 2014 by Thomas Amilien and Jean Baptiste Guignard, and was acquired by Qualcomm in November 2021. SDK solutions for hand tracking and gesture recognition are provided. Clay AIR has raised $36 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Qualcomm, Corundum Neuroscience and Square Peg Ventures. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Thomas Amilien. Its focus areas include High Tech, Augmented Reality, Technology Providers and Hand Tracking. Its competitors include ArcSoft, Hillcrest Labs and Leap Motion; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
An AI gesture recognition SDK is offered by Clay AIR, founded in 2014 in Los Angeles, United States. Real-time 3D hand tracking is enabled through smartphone cameras, supporting integration into applications without extra hardware. Over 30 gestures are recognized up to 88 inches away, with compatibility for Android, iOS, and the Unity engine. Operations focus on sectors including automotive, ARVR, consumer electronics, and music.
- Headquarters Los Angeles, United States
- Founders Thomas Amilien, Jean Baptiste Guignard
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTechnology
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website clayair.io
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Qualcomm (Nov 2021)
Funding Insights of Clay AIR
Clay AIR has successfully raised a total of $36M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $20 million completed in June 2018. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $36M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series A — $20M
- First Round $16M
(Mar 2016)
- Investors Count 2
All 2 funding rounds of Clay AIR with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2018 | $20M | Series A | – | – | |
| Mar 2016 | $16M | Series A | – | – |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in Clay AIR
Clay AIR has secured backing from 3 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Qualcomm, Corundum Neuroscience and Square Peg Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Support is provided for neuroscience research and venture building. | joyventures.com | Herzliya, Israel | ||
Venture capital fund investing in seed & early-stage startups | squarepeg.vc | Clifton Park, United States | ||
Provider of cloud and AI-based cellular communication ICs | 1985 | qualcomm.com | San Diego, United States |
Investor details for Clay AIR
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Clay AIR
2 people are tracked at Clay AIR (2 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Thomas Amilien | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Jean Baptiste Guignard | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Clay AIR
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Clay AIR
4 dated milestones of Clay AIR across 7 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Clay AIR is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $16.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $20.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Qualcomm.
Competitors of Clay AIR
Clay AIR has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include ArcSoft, Hillcrest Labs and Leap Motion.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| arcsoft.com | 1994 | Fremont, United States | $20M | ArcSoft is engaged in developing intelligent driving and imaging technologies. | ||
| hillcrestlabs.com | 2001 | Rockville, United States | $60.74M | 44 | Motion control software and hardware solutions are developed and supplied. | |
| leapmotion.com | 2010 | San Francisco, United States | $94.05M | 29 | Hand tracking solutions for AR/VR applications are provided. |
Detailed competitors of Clay AIR
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Gesture & Haptic Technologies
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Clay AIR (Gesture & Haptic Technologies) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AI-based surgical simulation is enabled via VR and haptics. | 2012 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 39.61 M | 53 | ||
Provider of wearable devices for motion tracking | 2012 | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | USD 58 M | |||
Motion control software and hardware solutions are developed and supplied. | 2001 | Rockville, Maryland, United States | USD 60.74 M | 44 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Clay Air
Complete news archive for Clay AIR
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clay AIR
Clay AIR was founded in 2014 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.
Clay AIR is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States. It is registered at Los Angeles, California, United States.
Thomas Amilien is the CEO of Clay AIR, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Clay AIR is a funded company, having raised a total of $36M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $16M, raised on Mar 2016.
An AI gesture recognition SDK is offered by Clay AIR, founded in 2014 in Los Angeles, United States. Real-time 3D hand tracking is enabled through smartphone cameras, supporting integration into applications without extra hardware. Over 30 gestures are recognized up to 88 inches away, with compatibility for Android, iOS, and the Unity engine. Operations focus on sectors including automotive, ARVR, consumer electronics, and music.
Clay AIR's top competitors include Hillcrest Labs, Leap Motion and ArcSoft.
Clay AIR has 3 investors. Key investors include Qualcomm, Corundum Neuroscience, and Square Peg Ventures.
Yes. Clay AIR was acquired by Qualcomm in November 2021.

