Cluely, a San Francisco-based startup, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
Known for its controversial slogan “cheat on everything,” Cluely offers an AI assistant that helps users during job interviews, exams, and sales calls by analysing live audio and on-screen content to provide real-time answers.
Founded earlier this year by 21-year-olds Chungin “Roy” Lee and Neel Shanmugam, the company emerged from controversy after both were suspended from Columbia University for creating “Interview Coder,” an AI tool designed to help candidates cheat on technical interviews undetected. Despite this, Cluely quickly gained investor confidence, having raised $5.3 million in seed funding just two months earlier.
The AI operates invisibly within users’ browsers, remaining undetectable to interviewers or proctors while assisting with coding, exam questions, and sales calls. Although Cluely markets its product as a productivity tool, critics highlight ethical concerns about facilitating cheating.
Cluely’s provocative marketing includes viral videos, such as one showing Lee using the AI to deceive a date about his age and knowledge of art. The company also plans to recruit “growth interns” to boost social media presence, aiming for a billion views.
Andreessen Horowitz’s Bryan Kim praised Lee’s bold vision and the startup’s early revenue traction. Recently, Cluely’s planned after-party following Y Combinator’s AI Startup School was shut down by police due to overcrowding, with Lee promising to continue the festivities.
Claiming profitability, Cluely is now focused on expanding its AI capabilities and user base. While the startup raises ethical questions about AI-assisted cheating, its quick rise and top-tier backing show growing demand for AI tools that challenge traditional boundaries.
Lee summarises the company’s ethos: “Today it’s cheating, tomorrow it’s fair.”