/Companies

Omaze

Los Angeles, US · Founded 2012 · Delaware corporation · 23 known investors

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Omaze runs prize draws where its community can win luxury homes, supercars, and cash prizes while raising money for charity partners. It operates as an entertainment company with a social purpose, serving consumers in the UK and Germany.

Also known as Omaze · Omaze Inc. · Omaze UK Limited

Founders & leadership

Omaze was founded in 2012 by Matt Pohlson.

MP
Matt PohlsonCo-founder and CEO
PT
Penni ThowNamed on SEC filing
NS
Nina SenNamed on SEC filing

Board

WGWyc Grousbeck
Wyc GrousbeckBoard directorCo-Founder & Partner at Causeway Media Partners
RHRichard Heitzmann
Richard HeitzmannBoard directorFounder and Partner at FirstMark Capital

Investors · 23

Also in the syndicate · 7

Bertelsmann Digital Media InvestmentsBonoKerry WashingtonMockingbird VenturesMoore Strategic VenturesleadTom BradyWndrCo Holdings

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$27.7M disclosed across 1 of 3 rounds · 2020–2021

▶$27.7MraisedOct 2020 · 20 investors · Other
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Matthew PohlsonExecutive Officer, Director
  • Wyc GrousbeckDirector
  • Penni ThowDirector
  • Nina SenExecutive Officer
  • Richard HeitzmannDirector
Offering amount
$27.7M
Amount sold
$27.7M
Proceeds to insiders
$3.5M
First sale
Mar 2020
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Omaze is an entertainment company with a social purpose that operates prize draws in which participants can win luxury homes, supercars and cash prizes while funds are raised for charity partners. Its flagship product is the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, which awards multi-million-pound residential properties that winners may occupy, rent out or sell mortgage-free, alongside secondary formats such as the Early Bird Prize Draw and the Monthly Millionaire Draw.

The company states it has operated since 2012 and has produced thousands of winners, including more than 50 millionaires through the Million Pound House Draw. Named prize outcomes publicised by the company include house draws in the Lake District, Yorkshire, Bath, London and Sussex in the UK, a Plauer See house draw in Germany, and vehicle prizes such as a Lotus Emira and a Porsche 911.

Business model

Consumer prize-draw entries around high-value prizes (homes, cars, cash), with a portion of proceeds directed to charity partners; the company describes itself as an entertainment company with a social purpose.

Traction

The company reports raising more than $250M for charities since 2012, thousands of prize winners and more than 50 millionaires created via the Million Pound House Draw. It also cites over $6M raised for Age UK, over $16M pledged to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and over $5M raised for the British Heart Foundation.

Latest developments

Current draw programmes include the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in the UK and Germany, the Early Bird Prize Draw and the Monthly Millionaire Draw.

▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history

Market position

Positions itself as a long-running charity prize-draw operator, citing over a decade of operations and a pledge of more than $50M a year to UK charity partners.

Go-to-market

Consumers in the UK and Germany who enter prize draws and want to support charitable causes.

Geography

Draws are offered to communities in the UK and Germany; charity beneficiaries include UK, German and US-based organisations.

History

Omaze states it has been giving its community the chance to win prizes and support causes since 2012; its first advertised winner was Ian, a retired police officer.

Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Annual pledge to UK charity partnersJan 2025$50M
Annual UK charity pledgeJan 2025$50M
Average value of homes awardedJan 20252,900,000 GBP
Charities supportedSep 2021400 charities
Charity share of total UK salesJan 202517%
Funds delivered to UK charities (2019-2025)Jan 2025100,000,000 GBP
Funds pledged to Great Ormond Street Hospital CharityJan 2025$16M
Funds raised for Age UKJan 2025$6M
Funds raised for British Heart FoundationJan 2025$5M
Funds raised for charityJul 2025$250M
Funds raised for charity (cumulative since 2012)Jan 2025$250M
Funds raised for UK charitiesJun 2026140,000,000 GBP
Grants generated for charitiesSep 2021$160M
Homes awarded valued over £1 millionJan 202540 homes
Homes drawnMay 202537 homes
Millionaires created through prize drawsJan 202550+

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Timeline · 13

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2025
Launch in Germany

Omaze launched in Germany, guaranteeing charity partners a minimum of €500,000 per draw, with homes raffled in Dorfen, Flensburg Fjord and the Mecklenburg Lake District.

source ↗

Jan 2025
Gary Briggs, Hilary Schneider and Faryar Shirzad join the board

source ↗

Jan 2025
Katherine Minarik appointed Chief Legal Officer

Former Uniswap Labs Chief Legal Officer joined Omaze as Chief Legal Officer in 2025.

source ↗

Jan 2025
Kweku Yankson appointed Chief People Officer

source ↗

Jan 2025
Tim Stone appointed Chief Financial Officer

Former Amazon AWS CFO and later CFO of Snap, Ford and Farfetch joined Omaze as CFO in 2025.

source ↗

Aug 2024
£5 million Hackney warehouse conversion given away

Omaze gave away a £5,000,000 warehouse conversion in Victoria Park, Hackney, London.

source ↗

Jan 2023
Omaze pauses operations in the United States

Omaze paused its US business and relocated its headquarters from Los Angeles to London while continuing UK operations.

source ↗

Dec 2022
Omaze lays off 103 employees

The company laid off 103 employees ahead of pausing US operations.

source ↗

Sep 2021
Omaze raises $85 million Series C led by Moore Strategic Ventures

Culver City-based Omaze Inc. announced an $85 million Series C round, more than tripling total funding to $127 million, to expand its platform into international markets.

$85M source ↗

Jan 2021
James McIntyre joins Omaze board

James McIntyre, then senior managing director and COO of Moore Strategic Ventures, joined the Omaze board of directors in connection with the Series C.

source ↗

Jan 2020
Named to Fast Company Most Innovative Companies list

source ↗

Jan 2020
Launch of the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in the UK

Omaze introduced its UK house draw model; the inaugural draw featured a £1 million property in Cheshire and raised £250,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

source ↗

Jan 2018
Co-founder Ryan Cummins departs

Ryan Cummins left the company in 2018; Matthew Pohlson remained CEO.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
InvestedDelaware

▸Research sources · 7

primary sources listed

7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Omaze do?
Omaze runs charity prize draws in the UK and Germany offering luxury homes, supercars and cash prizes.
Who founded Omaze?
Omaze was founded by Matt Pohlson in 2012.
Who are Omaze's investors?
Omaze's investors include FirstMark Capital, Causeway Partners, Crosscut Ventures, Evolution VC Partners, Ff Venture Capital, FJ Labs, Hemisphere Ventures LLC, RSE Ventures and 8 more.
How much funding has Omaze raised?
Omaze has disclosed $27.7M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.
Where is Omaze headquartered?
Omaze is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.