Cluely, a startup building AI-powered performance tools for high-stakes environments like job interviews, university exams, and corporate assessments, has raised $15 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. This follows a $5.3 million seed round raised earlier this year.
The company positions its platform as a real-time AI assistant that enhances user performance in evaluative settings, offering covert, voice-activated support during interviews and exams. According to CEO Roy Lee, the goal is to “level the playing field,” though critics argue the tools effectively enable sophisticated forms of cheating.
Founded by Roy Lee and Neel Shanmugam, both previously suspended from Columbia University for creating an AI tool to bypass technical interviews, Cluely has embraced a defiant tone. “We did some cleanup, but the drinks are all there waiting for the next party,” Lee said in reference to a recent internal company event.
The company claims it is already profitable, based on statements Lee made in podcast interviews and on social media. Sources familiar with the deal estimate Cluely’s post-money valuation at $120 million, though Andreessen Horowitz declined to comment.
Competitive Landscape
Cluely is part of a broader wave of AI-driven productivity startups, but its focus on live, undetectable performance augmentation places it in a niche of its own.