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Genius
AcquiredYC S11New York City, US · Founded 2009 · Delaware corporation · 101 employees · 13 known investors
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Genius is a crowdsourced music encyclopedia where a community of contributors annotates and discusses song lyrics, artist information, and music culture across all genres. The platform serves artists, creatives, and music fans who want to explore and share deeper context about music and its creators.
Also known as Genius Media Group, Inc
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S11)
Genius was founded in 2009 by Tom Lehman and Ilan Zechory.
Board
Investors · 13
How we know: a16z's portfolio · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: collabfund.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · lererhippeau.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Transmedia Capital's portfolio page · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Y Combinator directory · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$105.8M disclosed across 2 rounds · 2020–2026
- $100MraisedJul 2026 · 5 sourcesSource ↗
▶$5.8MraisedSep 2020 · 3 investors · OtherRule 506(b)
- Ilan ZechoryExecutive Officer, Director
- Tom LehmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Jacob CohenDirector
- Steve StouteDirector
- Ben HorowitzDirector
- Offering amount
- $10.3M
- Amount sold
- $5.8M
- First sale
- Sep 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Genius went on to found or lead other companies.
Related companies · 9
Companies working in the same space as Genius.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureFrequently asked questions
- What does Genius do?
- Genius is a crowdsourced music encyclopedia where a community of contributors annotates and discusses song lyrics, artist information, and music culture across all genres. The platform serves artists, creatives, and music fans who want to explore and share deeper context about music and its creators.
- Who founded Genius?
- Genius was founded by Tom Lehman, Ilan Zechory in 2009.
- Who are Genius's investors?
- Genius's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Collaborative Fund, Lerer Hippeau, Transmedia Capital, Y Combinator, Betaworks Ventures Management, Llc, Korea Investment Partners, Pegasus Tech Ventures and 5 more.
- How much funding has Genius raised?
- Genius has disclosed $105.8M raised across 2 rounds.
- Where is Genius headquartered?
- Genius is headquartered in New York City, US.