Clario Raises $6M to Eliminate Enterprise Data ROT

The big picture: Clario has launched from stealth with $6 million in seed funding, making the case that poor data quality, not flawed models, is the primary reason many AI projects fail. The company aims to provide the first platform purpose-built to eliminate enterprise data ROT — redundant, obsolete, and trivial files.

Why it matters:

• AI project failure: Gartner predicts that 60% of AI projects lacking AI-ready data will be abandoned by 2026, highlighting the critical impact of uncleaned data on AI initiatives.
• Costly inefficiencies: Enterprises are paying to store unnecessary data and then feeding that same data into AI systems, leading to increased storage and compute costs for every token processed.
• Unstructured data challenge: A significant portion of enterprise data, particularly unstructured formats like documents and emails, remains unaudited and uncleaned, introducing noise and inaccuracies into AI models.

How it works:

• Direct platform integration: Clario connects directly into existing enterprise file and content platforms such as Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, and Confluence.
• Automated ROT identification: The platform scans metadata to identify ROT, flagging legacy files, duplicate content, and outdated documentation that no longer serves a purpose.
• Workflow-driven cleanup: Clario activates workflows through Slack and Teams, prompting users to make decisions (keep, archive, or delete) about flagged content directly within their existing communication channels.

The catch: While many data governance tools identify data problems, Clario’s focus on active elimination requires a shift in enterprise mindset towards proactive data deletion rather than just management. Overcoming inertia and convincing organizations to part with long-held data, even if trivial, could be a challenge, though the performance-based payment model aligns incentives.