Cluely, an emerging startup that openly markets itself as a solution to “cheat” through job interviews, exams, and sales calls, has secured $15 million in a Series A funding round led by the influential venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz.
According to industry insiders familiar with the transaction, the recent investment places Cluely’s post-money valuation near $120 million. Andreessen Horowitz did not confirm or comment on the valuation; similarly, Cluely co-founder Roy Lee did not provide comment on this matter either.
This Series A arrives just two months after Cluely’s successful $5.3 million seed round, co-led by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures—a reflection of growing investor interest in provocative AI-enabled services.
Founded earlier this year by Roy Lee, 21, and his partner Neel Shanmugam, Cluely gained early notoriety after both founders were suspended from Columbia University for creating the controversial AI tool, Interview Coder, specifically designed to help engineers discretely ace technical interviews.
Lee has publicly stated via social media and on several podcasts that Cluely is already achieving profitability. His distinctively provocative presence online, coupled with deliberately controversial and highly-produced marketing content, has succeeded in drawing significant attention to the startup and rapidly building its brand profile.
Further amplifying the startup’s notoriety, earlier this week, Cluely planned to celebrate the conclusion of Y Combinator’s AI Startup School event by hosting a large-scale party. However, these plans were abruptly halted as local police intervened when roughly 2,000 people attempted to enter the venue, causing the event’s abrupt cancellation, according to Lee.
