OpusClip Raises $20M from SoftBank at $215M Valuation
OpusClip, a generative AI startup transforming how creators edit short-form video, has raised $20 million in fresh funding. The round was led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2, marking a strong vote of confidence in the company’s AI-first approach to content creation.
Founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, OpusClip helps creators, podcasters, and media companies simplify the often time-consuming video editing process. Its multimodal AI platform analyzes long-form videos and automatically identifies high-performing moments based on social media trends. Users can simply input a text prompt to generate polished short clips — all within a few clicks.
“The inspiration was to democratize this tedious process through AI,” said CEO and cofounder Young Zhao, a former talent agent who saw firsthand how hard it was for creators to keep up with demand for content. “Our goal is to remove the time and learning curve needed to produce these videos.”
Serving the Growing Creator Economy
OpusClip has quickly gained traction, especially among podcasters, gamers, media companies, and sports content creators. Clients include major names like Univision, Billboard, iHeartMedia, Visa, and LinkedIn.
The platform currently operates on a subscription model — starting at $19/month — with pricing tied to AI processing credits. It also offers enterprise-level solutions and is developing business-to-business payment models to scale further.
Zhao said the company now has 10 million users who have created over 70 million videos using the platform — all within just 18 months of launching.
Why SoftBank Invested
SoftBank’s investment comes amid a broader push into the AI sector. Vision Fund 2, which has backed companies like Glean and Klarna, is reportedly exploring a major investment in OpenAI as part of a larger $500 billion AI infrastructure strategy.
“Our product is completely AI-first, and SoftBank is fascinated by a new generation of video editing,” Zhao noted, adding that the fundraising process was “simple and smooth.”
The investment brings OpusClip’s total funding to $50 million and signals growing interest in multimodal AI — models that integrate and process text, video, and audio simultaneously. Zhao said investor appetite for this kind of technology is “rife,” as more funds look to back companies innovating at the intersection of content creation and AI.
What’s Next for OpusClip?
With the new capital, OpusClip plans to expand its team and double down on AI research in video processing. The startup’s mission remains clear: make high-quality video creation as seamless and scalable as possible for the next generation of digital creators.
As short-form video continues to dominate platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, OpusClip is positioning itself as the go-to editing engine powering the creator economy — no editing skills required.
