Cluely, Startup Helping Students to ‘Cheat on Everything,’ Secures $15M from a16z

Cluely, a controversial startup that brazenly claims to assist users in “cheating” on critical assessments like job interviews, exams, and sales calls, has successfully raised $15 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by Andreessen Horowitz, as announced by the company in a video shared on X on Friday.

According to two investors not involved in the deal, TechCrunch reports that Cluely’s post-money valuation is estimated to be around $120 million. Andreessen Horowitz has declined to comment on this valuation. Cluely CEO Roy Lee has yet to respond to requests for comment.

This new funding milestone arrives approximately two months after Cluely secured $5.3 million in seed funding, co-led by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures.

Founded earlier this year by 21-year-old Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam, Cluely emerged from the founders’ suspension from Columbia University. The suspension stemmed from their development of “Interview Coder,” an AI-powered tool designed to help engineers cheat on technical interviews without detection.

Despite the controversy, Cluely is reportedly profitable, as indicated by Lee’s numerous posts on X and appearances on podcasts.

Lee’s active and provocative social media presence, coupled with strategically produced, controversial videos, has proven instrumental in attracting attention and fostering brand awareness for Cluely.

Earlier this year, Cluely released a polarizing launch video featuring Lee using a hidden AI assistant to deceive a woman about his age and knowledge of art during a date at an upscale restaurant, as previously reported by TechCrunch.

This week, Cluely planned to host a large after-party following Y Combinator’s AI Startup School. However, police intervened and shut down the festivities after approximately 2,000 people attempted to enter the venue, Lee told TechCrunch. He stated that after the event, “We did some cleanup, but the drinks are all there waiting for the next party.”