Cludo
Cludo provides AI-powered site search and enterprise search platforms for content-heavy websites, serving 1,000+ websites across higher education, public sector, and commercial organizations with hybrid vector and keyword search plus modular AI Summary, AI Chat, and AI Mode add-ons.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cludo does
Cludo is a private SaaS company that provides AI-powered site search and enterprise search platforms for content-heavy websites, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with North American operations in Minneapolis and a UK office in London. The platform's core technology combines proprietary vector search with classical keyword search (BM25) using Reciprocal Rank Fusion to interpret user intent rather than rely on exact keyword matching, and it layers three generative AI products on top: AI Summary (concise cited answers above search results), AI Chat (embedded conversational assistant), and AI Mode (full-screen conversational experience). The company serves 1,000+ websites across 700+ organizations in higher education, public sector/local government, and commercial sectors including telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services, and trade associations, with named customers such as Boise State University, City of Reykjavik, City of Raleigh, Chesterfield County, Vodafone Australia, Cisco, Bobcat, and Apple Federal Credit Union.
The product portfolio is structured as a core platform plus modular AI add-ons: AI Search and Enterprise Search form the foundation, with the AI Layers sold as separately-priced premium add-ons starting at $8,000 annually per layer. Cludo monetizes through annual subscription contracts with custom pricing based on search volume, number of search engines, and feature set, supplemented by professional implementation services delivered either by Cludo's team or through certified agency partners including Hannon Hill, Aten Design Group, Jadu, ERI Design, and Extractable. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with an event-driven marketing motion (Digital Collegium, HighEdWeb, eduWeb Summit, 3CMA, NAGC) and content-led demand generation anchored by a free Frustration Audit lead magnet.
The company holds GDPR, ISAE 3402, ISAE 3000, W3C, WCAG, and European Accessibility Act compliance certifications and offers both EU and US data residency, positioning it for regulated public-sector and education buyers. With 11-50 employees and no disclosed funding rounds, Cludo appears to be a bootstrapped or organically-funded operator, with leadership comprising CEO Nick Wassenberg, Chairman and co-founder Niels Ebbe Ebbesen, and CTO Andrew Neverov.
Cludo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cludo
- Legal name
- Cludo ApS
- Website
- https://cludo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cludo provides AI-powered site search and enterprise search platforms for content-heavy websites, serving 1,000+ websites across higher education, public sector, and commercial organizations with hybrid vector and keyword search plus modular AI Summary, AI Chat, and AI Mode add-ons.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cludo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Search Software
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) & OCR Automation (HDAEAHAC)
Keywords
Where Cludo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cludo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Search Platform Subscription: Annual subscription-based pricing for site search and enterprise search platforms. Pricing varies based on number of searches per month, number of search engines, and features included. AI layers (AI Summary, AI Chat, AI Mode) are premium add-ons with separate pricing starting from 8,000 USD annually per AI Layer.
- Professional Implementation Services: Implementation services available through Cludo's team or certified agency partners. Described as having additional fees separate from subscription pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | AI Layers — from 8,000 USD annually per AI Layer |
| Subscription | Annual | AI Search and Enterprise Search — customized pricing |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Implementation Services — additional fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Cludo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cludo provides an AI-powered site search and enterprise search platform that combines vector and keyword (BM25) search using Reciprocal Rank Fusion to understand user intent. The platform offers AI Summary, AI Chat, and AI Mode add-on modules that generate conversational answers grounded in the customer's own indexed content, with optional EU and US data hosting. It is sold primarily through annual subscriptions to web managers and IT administrators in higher education, public sector, and commercial organizations.
Product overview
Cludo is an AI-powered site search and enterprise search platform designed for content-heavy websites. The platform operates as a unified platform-plus-modules architecture with AI Search and Enterprise Search as core products. Three independent AI Layers (AI Summary, AI Chat, AI Mode) function as add-on modules that layer onto the core search to deliver AI-powered answers through summaries, conversational chat, or full-screen conversational experiences. Supporting infrastructure includes Experience Builder for no-code configuration, React Search Core for developer integration, Search Experience Templates for quick deployment, and Search Analytics for insights. The platform combines vector and keyword (BM25) search using hybrid engine technology with Reciprocal Rank Fusion to understand user intent beyond exact keyword matches.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AI Search Intent-based site search combining vector and keyword (BM25) search using a hybrid engine with Reciprocal Rank Fusion to deliver accurate results by understanding user intent, not just keywords. Handles misspellings, synonyms, multi-language queries, and long-tail searches. Sold as an annual subscription to web managers in higher education, government, and commercial organizations.
- Enterprise Search Internal site search solution for corporate intranets and enterprise knowledge environments, providing unified search across SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Confluence, Jira, and other internal repositories with permission-respecting access controls. Targets large enterprises seeking to reduce information silos and internal IT support tickets.
- AI Summary AI-powered add-on generating concise summaries displayed above search results, synthesized from indexed content in real time. Includes Canned Responses for predefined answers, In-Text Citations for source links, and custom prompting for brand voice alignment. Priced separately from $8,000 annually per AI Layer.
- AI Chat Conversational AI chat layer embedded on websites that crawls and analyzes website content to deliver contextual answers in a chat-style interface. Reduces support tickets by up to 46% and handles thousands of chats automatically. Upgraded to GPT-4o in May 2024.
- AI Mode Full-screen conversational chat-style search experience combining AI Summary and AI Chat capabilities. Maintains conversation context for follow-up questions, delivering more precise source-based answers over time. Currently offered as a custom implementation.
- AI Layers Suite of three independent AI products (AI Summary, AI Chat, AI Mode) designed to deliver accurate answers from web content through search summaries, conversational chat, or full-screen conversational experiences. Sold as premium add-ons priced from $8,000 annually per layer.
- React Search Core React library providing core search state and backend communication functionality for developers integrating search into their own React environments with full control over UI rendering. Targets developer-led and agency implementations.
- Search Experience Templates Ready-made search templates offering a robust search experience without custom code, available in multiple variations and easily styled to match site design. Targets mid-market and developer-led deployments seeking plug-and-play rollout.
- Experience Builder No-code/low-code tool for tailoring Cludo AI Chat and configuring AI Summary, Rich Inline Template, and custom SERPs without extensive technical skills. Enables web managers to deploy search and AI features without developer involvement.
- Cludo Studio Template catalog within Experience Builder for designing and configuring search experiences, including global templates for quick deployment.
- Frustration Audit Free site search review service scoring eight dimensions of search experience including dead ends, typo handling, and mobile UX, delivered as a scored report with a personal Loom walkthrough within 48 hours. Used as a lead-generation offering targeting web managers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 46% reduction in human-handled support tickets (City of Reykjavik)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Cludo
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cludo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration21 records
AI capability5 records
Feature10 records
Cludo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hannon HillcoreCMS and web platform partner. Co-hosts webinars (Cascade CMS User Conference) and provides Cludo search integration to shared higher education clients. Cludo featured under 'MyCludo Under the Hood: Configuring AI Site Search for Higher Ed' at Cascade CMS conference.
- Aten Design GroupcoreDigital agency partner. Co-hosted webinar 'Why Intelligent Site Search Matters' and implemented Cludo for City of Raleigh. Aten serves as the implementation partner for government and public sector client deployments.
- JaducoreUK-focused CMS and digital services partner. Implemented Cludo for Gravesham Borough Council. Cludo and Jadu partnered on optimizing UK council search experiences.
- ERI DesignminorPartnered on higher education search implementations. Hosted joint webinar 'How Site Search and AI Are Enhancing Student Experience and Retention in Higher Education' with Cludo.
- ExtractableminorImplemented Cludo for Georgia's Own Credit Union. Provides financial sector implementation expertise for Cludo deployments.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreInfrastructure subprocessor. EMEA customers hosted on AWS EU (Germany). US customers hosted on AWS US. AWS provides the cloud hosting and infrastructure backbone for Cludo's SaaS platform.
- OpenAIcoreAI subprocessor for ChatGPT integration in Cludo AI Chat and AI Summary products. OpenAI provides the underlying language model (GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo). Not used for model training. Available in both US and EU cloud infrastructure.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cludo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Algolia: Algolia provides a developer-focused site search and discovery API used by enterprises and digital commerce teams. It is the most direct comparable to Cludo's AI Search product, competing head-to-head on relevance, AI-powered ranking, and ease of integration for content-rich websites.
- Coveo: Coveo offers an enterprise AI-search and relevance platform with generative answering, case deflection, and commerce use cases. It overlaps with Cludo's Enterprise Search and AI Layer products at the higher end of the enterprise market, particularly for service portals and intranets.
- Yext: Yext offers a search and content experience platform with AI-powered answers for websites, help portals, and intranets. It competes with Cludo in the same content-heavy website search category, especially for multi-location brands and public-facing knowledge bases.
- Lucidworks: Lucidworks provides enterprise search and discovery solutions built on open-source search infrastructure, with relevance tuning and AI-powered applications. It is a direct competitor in enterprise and intranet search, serving similar B2B and public-sector buyers.
Emerging players
- Klevu: Klevu provides AI-powered site search, product recommendations, and merchandising for online stores. It overlaps with Cludo's commercial-sector use cases, particularly for mid-market e-commerce buyers evaluating AI search add-ons.
- Searchspring: Searchspring delivers site search, merchandising, and product recommendations for e-commerce brands. It competes with Cludo primarily in the commercial-sector segment for retailers evaluating on-site search and discovery capabilities.
- Constructor: Constructor delivers an AI-first search and product discovery platform primarily for e-commerce, with personalization and click-through-rate optimization. It is an emerging adjacent competitor relevant to Cludo's commercial-segment customers looking at AI-driven on-site discovery.
- AddSearch: AddSearch provides a drop-in site search SaaS with AI-powered relevance and analytics for content websites. It is a smaller, more direct peer in the SME/mid-market site search category where Cludo also competes via its developer self-service motion.
Broad incumbents
- Elastic: Elastic provides a broad search and observability platform with vector search, hybrid retrieval, and AI Assistant capabilities. While not a packaged site-search SaaS like Cludo, it is a credible alternative for technical buyers building internal or external search on top of an open-source foundation.
- Bloomreach: Bloomreach offers a digital experience and commerce platform with built-in site search, content, and personalization modules. It competes with Cludo in the broader content-discovery category for commerce and content-driven websites.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cludo social profiles
Digital presenceCludo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Cludo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cludo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Cludo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cludo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cludo
What does Cludo do?
Cludo provides an AI-powered site search and enterprise search platform that combines vector and keyword (BM25) search using Reciprocal Rank Fusion to understand user intent. The platform offers AI Summary, AI Chat, and AI Mode add-on modules that generate conversational answers grounded in the customer's own indexed content, with optional EU and US data hosting. It is sold primarily through annual subscriptions to web managers and IT administrators in higher education, public sector, and commercial organizations.
Is Cludo a public or private company?
Cludo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cludo founded?
Cludo was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cludo based?
Cludo is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cludo make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. AI Search Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are professional Implementation Services.
Who are Cludo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Algolia, Coveo, Yext and Lucidworks. Emerging players are Klevu, Searchspring, Constructor and AddSearch. Broad incumbents are Elastic and Bloomreach.
Does Cludo have an API?
Yes. Cludo offers a comprehensive suite of REST APIs enabling developers to create fully custom search solutions. The APIs include: Content APIs for controlling search indexes and initiating crawlers; Search APIs for making search or autocomplete requests with filters, sorting, and other options; AI APIs for asking questions and receiving answers formed using search content; Reporting APIs for retrieving analytics data; and Event Tracking APIs for recording search and user journey events. APIs support authentication, backend implementations, and complete control over search solution functionality. MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration is planned for future SharePoint, knowledge bases, and internal repositories to transform AI Mode into an enterprise knowledge assistant. Developer documentation is at docs.cludo.com.
What industry is Cludo in?
Cludo's product category is Enterprise Search Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAHAC, Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) & OCR Automation. Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7372.