Chungin “Roy” Lee, a 21-year-old entrepreneur, announced that his startup, Cluely, raised $5.3 million in seed funding from Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures.
Cluely provides an AI tool designed to help users "cheat" on exams, job interviews, and sales calls. It operates via a hidden browser window that remains unseen by others, offering an AI-assisted advantage.
Cluely was founded after Lee was suspended from Columbia University for creating a tool, Interview Coder, which helped users cheat during software engineering job interviews.
The startup’s manifesto compares its tool to inventions like calculators and spellcheck, which were once also considered cheating.
However, it has sparked controversy, especially with a video showing Lee using the tool during a date to lie about his age and knowledge.
Despite the criticism, Lee's AI tool has gained traction, with Cluely surpassing $3 million in annual revenue.
Both Lee and his co-founder, Neel Shanmugam, dropped out of Columbia to focus on the startup.
