Investigate smarter.
Follow the evidence.
Clutch is building practical investigative technology for journalists, researchers, court observers, attorneys, nonprofits, and curious minds who believe accountability begins with better information.
Three tools. Three jobs.
The Field Kit teaches the craft of investigation. Clutch Apps puts it into practice. Each tool does one job well, and each is designed to stand on its own.
Clutch Beagle
Beagle is an AI-assisted discovery engine for the earliest stage of an investigation. Start with a person, organization, case, address, domain, or document, then follow the connections worth chasing. Beagle is built for exploration, not formal case management.
- Universal starting points
- AI-assisted research exploration
- Connection discovery
- Source verification
- Saved research trails
- Send verified leads to Intel planned
Clutch Intel
Intel is the structured workspace where Clutch Justice organizes its investigations. It keeps intel, claims, leads, and evidence as connected records instead of loose notes, and asks three questions of everything: what do we know, how do we know it, and what remains unverified?
- Investigation organization
- Evidence and file handling
- Assertions and verification tracking
- Provenance on every record
- Protected source references
- Relationship mapping
- Records-request tracking
- Research history and reporting
Intel is currently a private workspace for the Clutch Justice team; the intelligence inside it is not public. Its confidential tip intake is open to anyone. Organizational access is under consideration.
Clutch CourtWatch
CourtWatch is a structured platform for court observation. It gives observers a consistent way to document what happens in public courtrooms, and keeps a hard line between documented observations, verified findings, and allegations.
- Structured courtroom observations
- CourtWatcher events
- Observation checklists
- Courts, judges, attorneys, and hearings
- Review and verification workflows
- Research and reporting
- Public dashboards planned
- Evaluations with published methodology planned
Court observation is already part of The Accountability Network. Michigan volunteers can apply now for the in-person CourtWatch Observer role while the platform is built.
Complementary tools, not competing products.
Each app is useful on its own. Together, they follow an investigation from the first question to the published record.
Beagle
Surfaces leads, connections, and sources worth checking.
Intel
Organizes evidence, tracks what has been verified, and builds the record.
CourtWatch & Reporting
Documents what happens in court and supports structured analysis.
Integrations between the apps are planned, not yet built. CourtWatch does not require Beagle or Intel to function, and neither does the other way around.
Help build investigative infrastructure.
These tools are being built independently, without venture funding or advertisers with an agenda. Here are four ways to help, from a one-time contribution to an institutional partnership.
Be there before launch.
Two founding programs for people who want to see these tools exist. Founding supporters get development updates, preview invitations when previews are ready, and recognition on the supporter wall with their permission.
Beagle Charter Supporter
- Development updates from the build
- Preview invitation when a preview is available
- Charter recognition on the supporter wall, with consent
- Invitations to feedback sessions
Founding CourtWatcher
- Development updates from the build
- Preview invitation when a preview is available
- Founding recognition on the supporter wall, with consent
- Invitations to observer-workflow feedback
Founding support is a contribution to development, not a software purchase. It does not include lifetime or unlimited access, and it does not guarantee specific features or launch dates.
Put your support toward a specific build.
Each milestone is a defined piece of work with a clear deliverable. Funding targets will be published as budgets are finalized. To direct a contribution, note the milestone name with your support.
Research Infrastructure
The foundation that lets Beagle run discovery sessions reliably.
Deliverable: working discovery engine for core starting points
Public-Data Integration
Connect discovery to public records sources so leads start from the record.
Deliverable: first set of connected public data sources
Verification Features
Tools that show where each lead came from and how far it has been checked.
Deliverable: source labels and verification status on every lead
Observation Workflows
The structured forms and checklists observers use in the courtroom.
Deliverable: observation entry, checklists, and review queue
Security, Accessibility & Testing
Independent testing, accessibility fixes, and protections for sensitive material.
Deliverable: security review and accessibility audit with fixes
Public Dashboards
Aggregate, methodology-backed views of what observers document.
Deliverable: first public dashboard with published methodology
Contributions directed to a milestone support that work. If a milestone is fully funded or changes scope, contributions go to the next milestone for the same app.
Support court transparency where you live.
Individuals, organizations, and local businesses can support CourtWatch infrastructure and observation efforts in a specific jurisdiction: observer training materials, platform development for that court, and the work of documenting public proceedings.
- Sponsors cannot determine findings
- Sponsorship does not buy favorable coverage
- Sponsorship does not guarantee ratings or outcomes
- No privileged access to confidential records
- Every sponsorship is publicly disclosed
- Parties, attorneys, judges, and candidates in that court are not eligible
Sponsorship supports infrastructure and observation efforts. It does not guarantee a specific number of observed hearings or reports, which depend on volunteer availability.
For universities, newsrooms, nonprofits, and court transparency initiatives.
Clutch works with journalism schools, legal research groups, civic education organizations, and transparency projects. Some opportunities are available today; others are being developed and are open to early conversation.
Available Now
- Academic practicum placements for students in criminal justice, journalism, social work, and pre-law
- Research and analysis services with defined deliverables
- Case libraries and Lab tools for classroom use
In Development · Open to Conversation
- Organizational access to Clutch apps
- Research collaborations and educational access
- Structured court-observation programs
- Aggregated analytical reports and governed data licensing
Have a tip or documents? Please don’t send them through sponsorship or partnership email. Use the secure Clutch Intel tip portal instead.
Submit a Confidential Tip