> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.cleftnotes.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# About Cleft

> Learn about Cleft's mission, meet our founders, and discover why we're building the future of thought processing

## Our Mission

We build products where people feel like they belong and that help our users gain confidence in their own thoughts. Cleft exists to help you capture your thoughts, removing friction from your workflows.

**Our North Star**: Transform how the world thinks about voice, privacy, and accessibility and disability in technology.

## Meet the Founders

**We're neurodivergent founders who got tired of being afterthoughts in product design.**

**Justin Mitchell**\
[X](https://x.com/jmitch) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthisjustin/) · [Threads](https://www.threads.com/@itsthisjustin) · [Website](https://jmitch.com)

**Jonathan Cosgrove**
[X](https://x.com/jonnycosgrove) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnycosgrove/) · [Threads](https://www.threads.com/@barefootinharvard) · [Website](http://jonnycosgrove.com)

**We built Cleft because we needed it.** Now 10,000+ people have joined our journey, shaping it into something they want to pay for because they needed what we started with.

### Why We Built Cleft

**The Problems We Faced**:

* Traditional note-taking failed us. Brilliant insights during walks or conversations would vanish before we could capture them.
* Privacy anxiety made it impossible to think freely. Every voice app sent audio to the cloud, leaving our most personal ideas exposed.

**The Solution We Created**:

* Voice-first design that keeps up with how minds actually work, transforming scattered thoughts into structured brilliance.
* Privacy-first architecture that keeps your thoughts secure, always.

### Our Philosophy

**You deserve software that sees your brilliance, not your struggles.**

We started Cleft for users who are usually treated as "edge cases" in product design. We wanted to build something **by us and for us**, and open to all.

<Info>
  **We are our users.** We use Cleft every day. When we improve it for us, we improve it for you. Our daily frustrations become your feature requests.
</Info>

**What Drives Us:**

**Justin**: "I want every verbal thinker to feel the confidence that comes from knowing their thoughts are captured and valued."

**Jonathan**: "I want everyone to think freely without fear - no surveillance, no judgment, no barriers."

**Together**: "We're building a future where different minds are celebrated, not marginalized."

### How We Build Cleft

We run Cleft alongside our other ventures and day jobs - because we believe in building sustainable businesses that solve real problems.

**Our Other Work:**

* **[Amber](https://withamber.com)** - Our AI-powered writing workspace
* **[KB0](https://withamber.com/kb0)** - A portable clamshell case for your Apple Magic Keyboard with MagSafe phone mount, turning your keyboard and phone into a mobile writing setup
* **Plus our individual day jobs** that keep us grounded in real-world challenges

This is not our only focus, but it's our passion project. We're building Cleft the way we wish more software was built - thoughtfully, sustainably, and for people who actually need it.

## What We Stand For

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Doing One Thing Exceptionally Well" icon="bullseye" aria-label="Our focus on doing one thing well">
    We have zero interest in becoming another "everything" app. Cleft transforms longwinded verbal thoughts into usable notes. That's it. That's what we do exceptionally well.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Privacy by Design" icon="shield-check" aria-label="Our commitment to privacy">
    Your thoughts should not train someone else's AI. We're jaded with how Big Tech treats user data. Our only interest in your data is keeping it safe and making it accessible to you.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Accessibility First" icon="universal-access" aria-label="Our accessibility-first approach">
    We believe if you build a house, people need to be able to walk in, roll in, or fly in. Everybody should participate equally from day one, not as an afterthought.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Artisan Software Philosophy" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" aria-label="Our artisan software philosophy">
    We're not trying to scale to billions of users. We're building beautiful, thoughtful software for people who appreciate quality over quantity.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Why We're Bootstrapped

**Customer-funded, not investor-driven.** Here's what that means for you:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Our Alignment">
    **With Bootstrapped Companies:**

    * ✅ Built for profitability and sustainability
    * ✅ Customer interests come first
    * ✅ Focus on product quality over hypergrowth
    * ✅ Long-term thinking, not exit strategy
    * ✅ Transparent pricing based on value delivered

    **Our promise**: We succeed when you succeed.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="VC-Funded Alternative">
    **What VC Funding Often Means:**

    * 📈 Growth-focused with investor pressure to scale
    * 💰 User acquisition prioritized over profitability
    * 🎲 Risk of pivot, acquisition, or shutdown
    * 📊 Data monetization to satisfy investor returns
    * 🏃 Short-term metrics over long-term value

    **Reality**: Investors need returns, sometimes at user expense.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Our Principles

### Integration Over Competition

We work **WITH** your existing tools, not against them:

* Use Cleft **IN** Google Meet for your personal notes
* Use Cleft **WITH** Microsoft Teams for your follow-up thoughts
* Export **TO** Notion, Obsidian, or wherever you work

We complement your workflow; we do not compete with it.

### Experience-Based Pricing

**We charge for an amazing experience, not consumption:**

| What Others Charge For | What Cleft Charges For  |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Storage space          | Thought transformation  |
| Transcription minutes  | Experience quality      |
| Per-seat licensing     | Individual productivity |
| Feature access tiers   | One great experience    |

### The Extra Mile Philosophy

Most software treats edge cases as afterthoughts. We treat them as the primary use case because that's who we are. When you're neurodivergent, ADHD, or process thoughts differently, you need developers who understand that "good enough" is not good enough.

**We go the extra mile because we have to** - for ourselves and for you. Every feature, every interaction, every decision is made with verbal processors in mind first.

## What We're Opinionated About

* **Voice is first-class** - Not an afterthought, but how many people naturally process complex ideas
* **Privacy matters** - Your thoughts should not train someone else's AI (local Whisper processing)
* **Custom instructions are essential** - Generic formatting doesn't work for personal productivity
* **Integration > competition** - We work WITH Google Meet, Teams, Notion, Obsidian, not against them

## What We're Unopinionated About

* Organization methods (folders, tags, whatever works for you)
* Export destinations (send your notes anywhere)
* Processing levels (dial AI formatting up or down)
* Workflow integration (fit Cleft into YOUR process, not ours)

## What's Next

**Short term**: We're shipping regular updates with quality-of-life improvements. v1.11 is the latest release!

**Long term**: We're building a voice-first revolution in how we interact with technology, one thoughtful feature at a time.

**Our promise**: We're not building to sell or scale infinitely. We're building to last - for ourselves, for you, and for the future of thoughtful technology.

## Connect With Us

**We love hearing from users.** Seriously. Every email gets read by Justin or Jonathan personally.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Email Us" icon="envelope" href="mailto:hello@cleftnotes.com" aria-label="Email the Cleft team">
    Share feedback, ideas, or just say hello
  </Card>

  <Card title="Follow Our Journey" icon="twitter" href="https://x.com/Cleftai" aria-label="Follow Cleft on X">
    Behind-the-scenes updates and thoughts
  </Card>

  <Card title="Join the Community" icon="users" href="/community" aria-label="Join the Cleft community">
    Connect with other Cleft users
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Thank You

**To everyone who's supported our mission** - from our first beta users to our Plus subscribers to everyone who's shared feedback - thank you for believing in a different kind of software company.

**To our fellow neurodivergent thinkers** - you're not broken. Your tools were. We're here to change that, one thought at a time.

<Info>
  **We're building more than software** - we're building a future where different minds are celebrated, not marginalized. Where privacy is a right, not a luxury. Where quality matters more than scale.
</Info>

<Note>
  Want to support our mission? [Upgrade to Plus](/user-guides/upgrade-to-plus) and join us in building the future of thought processing.
</Note>