Cluely Raises Fifteen Million to Build the Future of Cheating
Cluely is not pretending to play by the rules. That is the whole point.
The startup just raised fifteen million dollars in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. Its pitch is bold and unapologetic. Help users cheat. On job interviews. On exams. On high pressure sales calls. If you can fake it, Cluely wants to help you make it.
According to two investors not involved in the deal, the company is now valued around one hundred twenty million dollars. Andreessen Horowitz declined to confirm the number. Cluely’s founder Roy Lee did not comment.
What is known is that the company is profitable. It already raised five point three million in seed funding this year. And it was started by two students who were suspended from Columbia for building an AI tool that made cheating in technical interviews undetectable.
Now they are being rewarded.
Cluely has built its brand with a mix of controversy, spectacle, and precision. Its launch video featured Lee using an AI assistant to lie during a dinner date. Not just about his age, but about art and taste. The message was clear. The future can be manipulated. So why not get good at it.
This is not just about productivity. It is about the psychology of tech founders today. Cluely is not pretending to save the world. It is trying to outsmart it. That mindset resonates. Especially in a world where the line between hustle and deception is thinner than ever.
Earlier this week, the company tried to throw a massive afterparty during a major startup event. The police shut it down after two thousand people showed up. The drinks are still there, Roy Lee said, waiting for the next one.
Cluely represents a new category of startup. One that does not care if you like it. Just whether you are paying attention. And in a climate where attention is power, that might be the most honest business model in tech.