Building Cluely: The Viral AI Startup that raised $15M in 10 Weeks
The a16z Show25 Juni 2025

Building Cluely: The Viral AI Startup that raised $15M in 10 Weeks

What if virality wasn’t a tactic — but the entire product?

In this episode, a16z General Partners Erik Torenberg and Bryan Kim sit down with Roy Lee, cofounder and CEO of Cluely, one of the most talked-about consumer AI startups of 2025. Cluely didn’t raise a mega round or drop a feature suite to get traction - it broke through by turning distribution into design: launching viral short-form videos, pushing polarizing product drops, and building in public with speed and spectacle.

We cover:

– Why virality is Cluely’s moat

– Building a brand-native AI interface

– The Gen Z founder mindset

– What most startups get wrong about attention

– Why creators are the new product managers

– Cluely’s long-term vision for ambient AI

Cluely is a glimpse at the next generation of startups, where the line between product and performance is disappearing.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction

01:07 Early Success

02:02 Roy's Journey: From College Kid to Tech Universe

04:37 The Turning Point: Harvard and Beyond

06:57 Building Cluey: The Early Days

08:27 The Viral Strategy: Mastering Algorithms

13:56 The 50 Interns Experiment

15:30 The Investment Journey: Roy and Bryan's Partnership

19:20 Momentum as a Moat: The Future of AI Companies

20:32 The Evolution of Product Strategy in the AI Era

21:19 The Importance of Speed and Adaptability

22:48 The Role of Distribution in Modern Startups

24:26 Roy's Journey and Product Development

25:25 The Power of User Data and Feedback

26:58 Innovative Marketing and Distribution Tactics

28:25 The Future of AI Integration and Translucent Overlays

32:15 Controversial Marketing and Authenticity

34:01 The Impact of Radical Transparency

36:42 The Changing Landscape of Professionalism

38:26 Concluding Thoughts and Future Vision


Resources:

Find Roy on X: https://x.com/im_roy_lee

Find Bryan on X: https://x.com/kirbyman01

Learn more about Cluely: http://cluely.com/

Stay Updated:

Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Stay Updated:

Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube

Find a16z on X

Find a16z on LinkedIn

Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify

Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Avsnitt(1000)

a16z Podcast: When Bio Meets Computer Science

a16z Podcast: When Bio Meets Computer Science

Biology startups have been around for a long time. But the world has changed since that first wave of bio startups, and especially more recently, due to the "peace dividends of the smartphone wars". S...

26 Juli 201541min

a16z Podcast: Big Data Goes Really Big

a16z Podcast: Big Data Goes Really Big

Big Data is evolving. It’s moving from the sole domain of the high priests of data science, to something that practically every organization -- big and small -- and every group within that organizatio...

24 Juli 201526min

a16z Podcast: Innovation and Regulation -- What Happens When Policy Lags Behind Technology?

a16z Podcast: Innovation and Regulation -- What Happens When Policy Lags Behind Technology?

Regulation always lags behind technology, but by 80-plus years?! U.S. Representatives Fred Upton and Greg Walden -- of the Energy and Commerce Committee including the subcommittee on Communications an...

22 Juli 201517min

a16z Podcast: It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It -- When Language Meets Big Data

a16z Podcast: It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It -- When Language Meets Big Data

When most people think of big data they think of numbers, but it turns out that a lot of big data -- a lot of the output of our work and activity as humans in fact -- is in the form of words. So what ...

16 Juli 201534min

a16z Podcast: Bitcoin's Growing Pains -- and Possibilities

a16z Podcast: Bitcoin's Growing Pains -- and Possibilities

Bitcoin has had more than its share of drama. There is, of course, the mystery surrounding its anonymous founder (or perhaps, founders) Satoshi Nakamoto. More recently, there's been a battle over whet...

10 Juli 201521min

a16z Podcast: The Changing Relationship Between Tech and Government

a16z Podcast: The Changing Relationship Between Tech and Government

Just a few years ago if you were mayor of Washington D.C. –- or any other city -- you didn’t have to wrap your head around the likes of Airbnb, Lyft, and other companies in the fast-growing 'sharing e...

10 Juli 201517min

a16z Podcast: Latinos and the Tech Economy -- U.S. Reps. Sanchez and Gallego Talk Bridging the Gaps

a16z Podcast: Latinos and the Tech Economy -- U.S. Reps. Sanchez and Gallego Talk Bridging the Gaps

There is a gap between the technology industry and the fastest growing portion of today’s workforce and the workforce of the future: Latinos -- argue U.S. Representatives Loretta Sanchez (California) ...

9 Juli 201524min

a16z Podcast: Is Entrepreneurship a Universal Language?

a16z Podcast: Is Entrepreneurship a Universal Language?

In this special international edition of the a16z Podcast, Mohsen Malayeri, co-founder of Avatech -- one of the more prominent startup accelerators in Iran among many (much like Y Combinator in the U....

1 Juli 201542min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

badfluence
framgangspodden
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-svart-marknad
uppgang-och-fall
rss-borsens-finest
avanzapodden
fill-or-kill
lastbilspodden
borsmorgon
bathina-en-podcast
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
24fragor
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
svd-tech-brief
tabberaset
dynastin
loungepodden