About Clutched
Clutched is specialized automotive software that helps car dealerships acquire the specific used vehicles they're actively looking to buy, directly from their own website and ad traffic.
Frederic Duprat
Founder & Builder
I'm Frederic Duprat. I've spent 6+ years building digital systems, the last 3+ focused entirely on automotive tech. I write the core software myself, I built the AI conversational logic myself, and I personally run every dealership integration. There's no support ticket queue between you and the person who built this.
Why We Only Charge for Qualified Trade-In Leads
I've watched dealers pay for tools and lead packages regardless of whether anything actually came of it. No way to verify what was delivered, no way to push back on the invoice. That's the wrong way around.
So I built the opposite. Clutched is free to install and free to run, permanently. If we don't deliver a real, consenting trade-in lead, you don't pay. No monthly fee, no cost to keep the tool live on your site and your ads.
I also learned that dealers don't want random leads. They want the specific vehicles they're actively trying to acquire. So the AI checks every lead against your acquisition profile and only delivers the ones that match what you're buying. You pay for relevance, not volume.
Every qualified lead comes with its full consent transcript attached to the invoice. You can see exactly who was contacted, what they agreed to, and that the vehicle was real. What you're billed is verifiable, not a black box.
You shouldn't have to trust a vendor's word for what you're paying for. You should be able to see it.
Our Timeline
From technical web systems to a specialized automotive AI platform.
Digital & Technical SEO Roots
I started building high-performance web systems and technical SEO for growing businesses. I kept noticing the same gap: great traffic hitting pages that captured nothing.
Automotive Focus & Early AI
I moved exclusively into automotive and started building AI workflows for lead qualification and instant SMS follow-up. What I learned: speed of first contact decided whether a lead ever became a deal.
The Trade-In Engine
I tested early valuation tools on real dealership traffic. The takeaway that shaped everything: dealers were paying for tools that sent their own visitors elsewhere, then buying those same cars back at auction. That's when the pay-per-lead idea took hold.
Clutched Launches Publicly
I packaged the valuation engine, the AI SMS logic, and the consent-tracking into one platform. Free to run, billed only on qualified leads, because a tool that doesn't deliver shouldn't cost you anything.
Why We Built Clutched
Traditional valuation tools give shoppers a static estimate and walk away. They do not capture actionable contact details, they do not follow up, and they do not help dealerships secure trade-ins. Dealerships were paying for tools that sent their traffic to third party listing portals, then paying high auction fees to buy back those same vehicles.
We created Clutched to disrupt that cycle. The valuation gets the seller's attention; the AI then qualifies each lead and matches it against the specific vehicles you've told us you're trying to acquire, then delivers the match straight to your CRM. You only pay for leads that match what you're actively buying.
Auctions will always exist, but they should not be your primary inventory source. The most profitable used vehicle you will ever acquire is sitting in your customer's driveway, and Clutched helps you acquire it first.
What Sets Us Apart
Three things that make Clutched different from every other tool in the industry.
Matched to What You're Actually Buying
Every other tool sends you whatever raw lead it captures. Clutched checks each one against the specific vehicles you told us you're trying to acquire, make, model, year, mileage, before it ever reaches your CRM. You don't sort through leads to find the two that fit. You get the two.
Pay Only for What You Confirm
Free to install, free to run, forever. No monthly fee. You pay only for qualified leads delivered, each with the full consent transcript attached. Get a lead that doesn't actually match? Flag it, it comes off your invoice.
A Real Conversation, Not Just a Text Alert
Most tools stop at a flat SMS with a name and number. Clutched's AI agent actually talks to the seller, confirms condition, qualifies intent, and books the appraisal, then hands you a lead that's already been vetted, not just captured.
Ready to capture trade-ins on autopilot?
Free to install, free to run. You only pay for the qualified leads we deliver.