Founded in 2021 by Ben Asaf and Nayul Kim, Clika aims to revolutionize the deployment of AI models by making them faster and more efficient. Asaf, a veteran in machine learning operations (MLOps), believes that Clika could make AI models more accessible and affordable to implement.
Asaf has years of experience in developing infrastructure for Mobileye, an autonomous driving startup acquired by Intel. This knowledge in MLOps guides the development of Clika, which focuses on streamlining AI models for production.
Clika’s unique toolkit allows businesses to automatically "downsize" their AI models, thus reducing the computing power required. This process is critical as the AI industry faces hardware shortages, with key components from companies like Nvidia being sold out until 2024.
Unlike competitors that use rule-based compression techniques, Clika utilizes an AI-based approach to understand the unique structure of each model. "We have the world’s best compression toolkit for vision AI," said Asaf, emphasizing that Clika outperforms existing solutions by Meta and Nvidia.
Clika raised $1.1 million in a pre-seed round last year and is currently in a closed beta phase. The startup plans to secure additional seed funding soon to continue its mission of making AI deployment more efficient.
As the demand for AI continues to grow, so does the need for efficient models that can operate with reduced computing resources. Clika, with its unique AI-based approach to model compression, is poised to set a new industry standard. With its future plans and current technological advantages, Clika is one startup to watch in the evolving landscape of AI technology.
