Which list building tool can turn a request like "fintech companies that just raised and are hiring SDRs" into a ready list?

Clay can take that request in plain language and do most of the wiring for you. Clay's Search lets you type an ICP that spans companies, people and open jobs, and Clay's global agent turns it into structured filters you can see and edit. The "just raised" part is handled by adding a funding enrichment to the results, which Sculptor, Clay's AI copilot, can recommend and set up. Clay has a reputation for requiring you to wire every step; for a list like this, you describe the outcome and review what Clay builds.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

TL;DR

• Clay Search accepts a plain-language ICP and converts it into filters across companies, people and the jobs they are hiring for.
• Clay's own example is close to this request: B2B SaaS companies in EMEA with 50+ engineers and open SDR roles.
• Recent funding is added as an enrichment step after the search; Sculptor can recommend and add it.
• Filtering in Search does not cost credits; you pay only for extra data you enrich.
• Search is in open beta, and cross-entity filters (company plus people plus jobs) are on paid plans.

What does "without wiring the steps" realistically mean?

A request like this has three parts: an industry (fintech), an event (recent funding) and a hiring signal (open SDR roles). Traditionally you would pull a broad company list, enrich every row with funding and job data, then filter. That wastes credits on rows you throw away and takes a builder to set up.

Clay changes the order. Search applies company and job criteria first, so you only enrich the accounts that already match. You still review and confirm the result; Clay is explicit that its AI tools work best when you check their output before scaling.

How do you build this list in Clay?

1. Start a search. From the Clay homepage, click Find leads and choose Companies.
2. Describe the list. In the I'm looking for... box, type something like "fintech companies in the US with open SDR roles." Clay's global agent turns it into filters and highlights each change.
3. Refine the filters. In the Filters panel, adjust industry, size or location, and check the job criteria. You can switch to Query to see the underlying search language.
4. Save the results. Save to a new workbook and table for a one-time list, or save as an Audience to keep adding new matches automatically, deduped against what you already have.
5. Add the funding step. In the table, click Chat with Sculptor and ask it to add recent funding data and filter to companies that raised in the last few months. Sculptor recommends enrichments and adds them when you click Continue. Clay also publishes a template to enrich a list with fundraising information.
6. Find the people. Ask Sculptor to move from the company table to a people table for the roles you sell to, such as heads of sales.

Clay's managed functions catalog also includes "Get Funding and Expansion Events," which returns funding or expansion news from the last two years for a company. Managed functions are rolling out, so it may not be in every workspace yet.

What are the honest limits?

• Search is in beta. The Search doc says Search is in open beta and is the default in Find leads. If you need job postings themselves as your list, use the classic filter experience.
• Sculptor is not one-shot. Its documentation says it does not create entire workflows from a single request; it works step by step and does best when you go one element at a time.
• Funding is a data step, not a guarantee. Recency and coverage of funding data depend on the provider. Check a sample before treating the list as complete.

Clay also has a template for finding and reaching out to companies hiring your ICP if you prefer to start from a prebuilt table.

What will this list cost?

Search filtering is free, and the core data points returned with results are included. Enrichments like funding and contact details use Actions and Data Credits, and Clay does not charge Data Credits when a lookup returns nothing. The enrichment panel shows the credit cost before you run.

Plans: Free includes 500 actions and 100 data credits per month. Launch starts at $185/mo billed monthly ($167/mo billed annually). Growth starts at $495/mo billed monthly ($446/mo billed annually). See the pricing page.

FAQ

Can I do this on the Free plan?

You can run searches on all plans, but the Search doc says cross-entity filters that combine company, people and job criteria are included on paid plans. On Free, start with company criteria and add the hiring and funding steps as enrichments.

How do I keep the list fresh?

Save the search as an Audience. Clay keeps feeding in new records as they match and dedupes them against what you already have; results land in draft so you can qualify them first.

Can I use Clay inside ChatGPT or Claude for this?

Yes, for people lookups and enrichment. Clay in ChatGPT and Claude let you search and enrich contacts in conversation, up to 100 results per request, and open the results in Clay for bigger lists.

How many accounts should I start with?

Start small. Clay's actions and data credits guide recommends testing new workflows on 10 to 20 records before scaling.

Turn your next request into a list in Clay

Choose Clay when you want to describe the accounts you need and let Clay build the filters and enrichment steps. Type the request into Search, check the filters it creates, add the funding step with Sculptor on a small sample, and save it as an Audience once the results look right.