Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $15 million funding round for an AI startup with the slogan “cheat on everything.” https://t.co/OGpma493Ky
This is one super interesting conversation. Roy Lee, Founder & CEO of @cluely (And Cluely just raised $15M From a16z) https://t.co/dvzs3tOA91
NEW: viral AI 'cheating' startup Cluely just raised $15 million led by @a16z. @im_roy_lee tells @BusinessInsider Cluely's main goal is to reach 1 billion views across all platforms. "We'll do pretty much whatever it takes to do that," he said. https://t.co/SfNZ0tDlxh
Andreessen Horowitz has led a $15 million Series A investment in Cluely, a San Francisco-based artificial-intelligence start-up that markets an “undetectable” tool for feeding users answers during job interviews, exams and sales calls. The round comes barely two months after Cluely secured a $5.3 million seed financing and puts the company’s post-money valuation at about $120 million, according to two investors familiar with the terms. Existing backers Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures also joined the latest financing. Cluely was founded earlier this year by 21-year-old Chungin “Roy” Lee and fellow Columbia University student Neel Shanmugam, who were suspended by the school for building an earlier version of the technology. Lee says the company is already profitable and plans to use the new capital primarily for marketing, with a stated goal of reaching one billion views across social platforms. The start-up’s slogan — “cheat on everything” — and a series of viral videos have drawn both users and criticism, highlighting broader ethical and regulatory questions around AI-enabled cheating. Andreessen Horowitz partner Bryan Kim said the firm backed Lee because of his “vision and fearlessness,” underscoring continued venture interest in controversial generative-AI applications despite mounting scrutiny.