Sources: VCs have approached Clubhouse about investing in its next round at ~$1B valuation, a 10X increase from the previous round; a16z is expected to lead
The race to invest in social audio app Clubhouse is on again. Venture capital firms have approached the startup's founders … Tweets: @alexeheath , @alecstapp , @benedictevans , @basti , @wongmjane , @samwhiteout , @mochievous , @immad , @benparr , @julianweisser , @jenniferm_q , @rainygay1 , @kantrowitz , @dolarvaluetwink , @anshublog , @rstephens , @rachelsklar , @kazeem , @bentossell , @cityofthetown , @austen , @aerocles , @keccers , @sm , @akindolu , @hkanji , @amir , @amir , @benji_fernandes , @kola_aina , @imadeiyamu , @pitdesi , @anothercohen , @ourielohayon , @seyitaylor , @itsitz_ , @magdalenakala , @prestonattebery , and @taylorlorenz Tweets: Alex Heath / @alexeheath : Clubhouse is in talks to raise more money at a valuation of $1 billion, up 10x from its valuation just 8 months ago. The audio social app now has just over 2 million users but is still invite-only. story with @zoeSaintBernard & @KateClarkTweets: https://thein.fo/... Alec Stapp / @alecstapp : New social network is about to go from zero to a $1 billion valuation in less than a year. I was told this was impossible given the monopoly and all. https://twitter.com/... Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : I don't understand. I thought new tech company creation has collapsed and big tech companies have kill zones? https://twitter.com/... Bastian Lehmann / @basti : A Clubhouse valuation of $1B is a no brainer. @pdavison (I don't know him) created a new way for audio to be part of the (no pun intended) conversation. I root for him. 📻 Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane : Half of the rooms I'm seeing on Clubhouse right now are about Clubhouse per se and/or the ~$1B valuation https://twitter.com/... Sam White / @samwhiteout : Clubhouse has done very little re: safety policies and products. Folks told me months ago “it's still early” but things are ramping up. And there's been no real progress re: safety on the platform. https://twitter.com/... Moe / @mochievous : Two things I think makes Clubhouse sticky 1. It is a social media app that doesn't compete for screen time (you can do other things in the background) 2. Creating content on it is really easy Clubhouse Gets Investment Interest at $1 Billion Valuation https://www.theinformation.com/ ... @immad : One thing people don't get about VC investments is the asymmetric risk VCs take due to preference share: Upside: Clubhouse worth $100b Downside protection: They sell for enough to pay the VCs back first This means VC valuation for breakout successes seem crazy. https://twitter.com/... Ben Parr / @benparr : If you believe @joinClubhouse has staying power (and at this point it seems clear it does), then $1b is a low valuation. Sticky social networks are very rare and extremely monetizable. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... @julianweisser : “The steeper the up round, the greater the undervaluation.” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Jen Monroe / @jenniferm_q : Now wait I have been told SEVERAL TIMES that this is an impossible feat https://twitter.com/... Rainygay / @rainygay1 : @Techmeme Would be as much as Instagram when FB bought it and ruined it Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz : Now, all of Clubhouse will obsessively discuss its funding round, leading to an engagement boom that will increase its valuation. It's a good business. https://twitter.com/... Disaster Georgist / @dolarvaluetwink : Wow for a monopoly there sure are lots of competitors in the social media market https://twitter.com/... @anshublog : Is Clubhouse the new social network monopoly? Or is Facebook still the only monopoly? And Twitter? And TikTok? https://twitter.com/... Robert Stephens / @rstephens : As far I can tell so far, there is only one thing easier than making a quick TikTok vid, and that's spinning up an audio room in CH. https://twitter.com/... @rachelsklar : Every time I come around to thinking I should join I hear of some other horrifying anecdote. https://twitter.com/... Kazeem Famuyide / @kazeem : I hope you're all happy https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Ben Tossell / @bentossell : Wow 😳 I wonder how things may heat up when Twitter Spaces rolls out more broadly. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... Tom Dotan / @cityofthetown : 24hrs after I participate in my first Clubhouse talk 🤔 https://twitter.com/... Austen Allred / @austen : $100M was a reasonable price for the Clubhouse round. $1B would be a low price for Clubhouse today IMO. A team of <10 people grew an easily monetizeable invite-only social app from 1 million to 2 million users in less than two weeks. Do you know how often that happens? Never. https://twitter.com/... David Teicher / @aerocles : Meh. I like the dynamic but CH will be like MySpace of audio apps. With little moderation, tons of snake-oil sales and self promotion, and the racism/sexism... it's only a matter of time before a better version replaces it https://twitter.com/... Katherine Champagne / @keccers : one of the shortest launch—unicorn trajectories I've ever seen everything seems to move at the speed of light these days https://twitter.com/... Sara Mauskopf / @sm : Would you take a 10x valuation in just 8 months if it meant a zoomed in profile photo of just your nose would circulate around the internet for an entire news cycle? I mean yes I would... but I had to consider it for a second https://twitter.com/... Sola / @akindolu : Next time I'm on any call now: Venture is about a discount on the future. https://twitter.com/... Hussein Kanji / @hkanji : A few short months later... BOOM https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Amir Efrati / @amir : 🔥🔥Clubhouse news: 2 million users & getting investment interest from Sequoia, Benchmark, others; some prospective offers at ~$1B valuation. a16z still the fav to lead next round if it comes together https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Amir Efrati / @amir : Question: is $1 billion valuation unprecedented for a 9 month old social app? https://twitter.com/... Benjamin Fernandes / @benji_fernandes : I've been saying Clubhouse will be bigger than TikTok! Voice travels in motion and doesn't compete for screen time. https://www.theinformation.com/ ... Kola Aina / @kola_aina : “Always remember that venture is about a discount on the future not a markup to the past.” 👌🏿💯 This is why I consider it such a privilege to back the companies we back so early. https://twitter.com/... Imade / @imadeiyamu : Where are the people that said Clubhouse'll go the way of Houseparty 8 months later and we're here :) https://twitter.com/... Sheel Mohnot / @pitdesi : Remember when you thought that the $100M valuation was INSANE? Always remember that venture is about a discount on the future not a markup to the past. https://twitter.com/... Alex Cohen / @anothercohen : Wow. Pretty insane growth at nearly 2.5m users https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Ouriel Ohayon / @ourielohayon : Can t wait for the wild 2021 IPO https://twitter.com/... @seyitaylor : In a previous time, people thought FB overpaid for Instagram. https://twitter.com/... Itz / @itsitz_ : Call me crazy but I also think they will make lots of money. Even if TW, IG, FB.. copy them. It's like going to a restaurant, eventually you get tired of eating in the same restaurant... https://twitter.com/... Mags / @magdalenakala : This makes Bytedance's last private valuation look like a STEAL 🤣 https://twitter.com/... Preston / @prestonattebery : this seems overvalued...but it's probably not the value of social networks is quite clear. If you can make it to the top, it's a $100B-$700B opportunity https://twitter.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : All with no significant investment in trust and safety https://twitter.com/...