During her time as a special operations civil affairs team commander for the U.S. Army, Alex Moffitt was thrown into a high-stakes situation navigating the Army’s role amid the Somali-Kenyan conflict. Without organized information that was relevant to her operations, Moffitt said she felt overloaded and overwhelmed.
After realizing that her frustration was not a unique experience, Moffitt began developing Clara Copilot, a startup that seeks to streamline the workflow of intelligence and information operations.
Co-founded by Moffitt and Tyson Myhres, Clara Copilot provides a software that organizes and analyzes intelligence data and presents solutions accordingly.
The software delivers real-time updates on data sources and information based on users’ specific operations. Using AI, Clara Copilot recognizes the persona and role of a user and provides tailored feedback and potential courses of action that a user could take within their role.
For example, an employee for a security team at a Syrian airport might be monitoring numerous data feeds—ranging from public sources like social media to private data feeds from the security firm—in real time. As developments occur, Clara Copilot will take in new information and make up-to-date recommendations as to what the security employee can do, within the boundaries of their role, to support the airport’s security.
Each co-founder brings a different background to the startup, enabling Clara Copilot to feature both smart software and a connection to its market. Myhres, who has served as a software development engineer for several other startups, runs Clara Copilot’s technology operations. Moffitt said her experience in the Army allows her to understand users’ problems and needs.
“I understand what the end user is experiencing,” Moffitt said. “I know how to relate to the customer, and I think it’s really been able to accelerate our conversations and build that trust.”
The startup’s name, Clara Copilot, comes from the latin word clara, which means clear. Moffitt said the name represents the clarity the startup is trying to bring to intelligence operations.
“You want to be able to have peace of mind when you’re operating, and that’s super vital when you’re on the ground in an operation and in leading up to it,” Moffitt said.
Automating the intelligence workflow
Clara Copilot is unique from other intelligence-related startups in that it uses AI to automate intelligence operations from reviewing data to making decisions. Other startups such as Dataminr (which evaluates data for risks) tend to focus on automating and simplifying only specific sections of the intelligence workflow.
The abilities to tailor solution recommendations to users’ roles and build on historical data and recommendations also set Clara Copilot apart.
Moffitt said if she had been able to use Clara Copilot during her time in the Army, she would have been able to efficiently organize and evaluate data, rather than missing critical times to act.
“It would have solved those gaps in real time and let me just stay ahead of the mission and actually have situational awareness,” Moffitt said.
Expanding markets
With a software that streamlines the workflow for intelligence firms, Clara Copilot is currently focused on capturing the market of government agencies, which the startup estimates as a $20 billion market.
The startup’s software also has applications beyond government agencies, such as with travel-related companies like hotels and airlines as well as risk management and security firms. In the future, the startup plans to work towards expansion beyond government and into these markets (which Moffitt said they have evaluated at $25 billion and $50 billion respectively).
QUICK BITS
Startup: Clara Copilot
Co-Founders: Alex Moffitt, Tyson Myhres
Founded: 2024
Team size: 4
Location: Southern Pines
Website: claracopilot.ai
Funding: Pre-Seed
Clara Copilot is available through a software-as-a-service subscription. The startup offers tiered subscriptions ranging in price based on the size of user companies and required data storage.
The startup is adding new companies to its user base as Clara Copilot begins its pilot phase. They are also currently raising pre-seed.
Clara Copilot was recently selected to showcase its software in 2026 at Project Convergence, the Army’s premier experimentation event that showcases new technology for use in the military.
