Written by: Casandra Estelloso, Matthew Tison
Lasallian BS Information Technology (BSIT) alumna Mesai Memoria, a founding member of Clout Kitchen, a consumer AI startup, is breaking new ground with her colleagues as the first Filipino company accepted into the prestigious Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) SPEEDRUN Tech x Games Accelerator, securing a funding boost of $1.2 million (Php 69.8 million).
Memoria, a 2022 graduate, serves as the Senior Product Designer for the company with operations in Los Angeles and Manila that creates creatorpowered interactive experiences.
“I graduated with a major in web and mobile development from USLS and now I’m still pursuing my career in web design and dev as a product designer. I still apply everything that I have learned from my studies to my work now,” shared Memoria when asked how her education at USLS has contributed to her career success.
The Lasallian alumna leads
user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, playing a crucial role in enhancing the visual appeal and functionality of their applications while creating a seamless and engaging interaction that meets audience needs.
“I lead both the [...] UX and [...] UI design, and I’ve helped scale the look and feel of our app. Recently, I played a big part in design updates that boosted our user satisfaction and engagement. I also designed and built our main website: backseat. gg.” shared Memoria.
From July 29 to October 20, with an acceptance rate of approximately 1% in the previous batch, Clout Kitchen was one of the selected startups for the 12-week program which provides financial and structural support to promising early-stage founders in the gaming industry, aiming to nurture innovation and primarily focusing on startups that involve both technology and gaming.
Clout Kitchen’s team,
including Memoria, David Constantine Viray, Sheanne Eric Cabantac, Pauline Baterna, Brent Carl Anonas, Vincent Rivera, and Patricia Louise Berbano, was in San Francisco to support as their founders pitched their startup to investors across tech and gaming during the Demo Day.
Founded in 2024 by Justin Gorriceta-Banusing, CEO and co-founder of AcadArena, a Series A scholastic gaming network in Southeast Asia and Latin America, along with Gab Lopez, CBO and one of the founders of MedHyve, who is also recognized as the youngest venture-backed founder in the Philippines, the company builds creator-powered interactive experiences in gaming and pop culture.
Their first product, Backseat AI, is an in-game “buddy” system for League of Legends, partnered with leading gaming and pop culture creator Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp, one of the world’s biggest gaming content creators with over 20 million followers.
Backseat AI, complying with Riot standards, uses an AI voice that mimics players’ favorite creators to guide character choices and item purchases in real-time and has attracted over 45,000 waitlist sign-ups since its early access launch in June.
The startup company has raised $4.45 million in its latest seed round, co-led by A16z and Peak XV, formerly Sequoia SEA, to expand operations, increase its workforce, establish a U.S. office, and enhance its technology infrastructure in preparation for upcoming initiatives.
