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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Laugh.ly is a technology company.
Laugh.ly provides a dedicated digital platform offering an extensive, free online library of stand-up comedy acts. The company’s core product functions as a mobile on-demand delivery system for spoken word comedy, enabling users to stream, share, favorite routines, and curate personal playlists. This approach focuses on making a vast catalog of comedic content easily accessible to a broad audience.
The company was founded in 2016 by Dave Scott, a serial entrepreneur with a notable background in e-commerce, marketing automation, and as a paid comedian himself. Scott identified a gap in the market for a specialized comedy streaming service, recognizing the need for a platform that could house a large volume of content while also providing a sustainable model for artists.
Laugh.ly targets comedy enthusiasts seeking a comprehensive and curated collection of performances. The platform aims to serve as the premier destination for discovering and enjoying stand-up comedy. Its long-term vision centers on delivering a vast array of comedic material while fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment within the comedy industry.
Laugh.ly has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Laugh.ly has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Laugh.ly has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in January 2017.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2017 | $2M Seed | Michael Palitz | Barbara Corcoran Venture Partners, Barbara Corcoran, Accelerator Ventures, Atlas Holdings, Arlan Hamilton, Social Capital, Treehouse Capital, Wharton Alumni Angel Network | Announced |
Laugh.ly is a streaming audio app dedicated exclusively to stand-up comedy, offering users a searchable archive of professional and up-and-coming comedians' material through web and mobile platforms.[1][2][3] It serves comedy fans seeking customizable listening experiences and helps comedians gain exposure and monetize their work, addressing the decline in comedy album sales and limited distribution channels in the streaming era.[1][2] Key features include machine learning-powered recommendations, custom radio stations by artist or topic, profanity filters, joke sharing, live show streaming, and original exclusive content, with a freemium model featuring ad-supported free access and a $7.99/month premium "Front Row Seating" tier.[1][2][3] Launched in August 2016 with over 400 comedians and 20,000 tracks, it positioned itself as "Pandora for comedy," raising $2.25M in Series Seed funding plus prior SAFE notes totaling $2.25M from investors like New York Angels, Barbara Corcoran, and Wharton Alumni Angel Network.[3]
Laugh.ly, originally known as Laugh Radio, was founded by Dave Scott, inspired by his brief time in the NYC comedy scene where he observed comedians' struggles to distribute material and earn a living.[1][2] Scott, a Wharton MBA graduate, teamed up with a classmate who had recently left a hedge fund portfolio manager role and shared a passion for building a laughter-focused company.[1] The idea emerged from recognizing stand-up comedy's booming popularity—50 million annual club visits and sold-out stadiums—contrasted with comedians' poverty due to shifts from physical albums (once 20% of record sales) to streaming, which shrunk access.[2] Early traction included licensing content from labels like Comedy Central Records, securing comedian Lewis Black's endorsement, adding board member Michael Palitz (former comedy club owner and NY Angels investor), and launching iPhone, Android, and desktop apps.[1][2][3]
Laugh.ly rides the explosion of stand-up comedy as mainstream entertainment, fueled by TV/radio dominance and 50 million yearly club-goers, while capitalizing on audio streaming's growth amid declining physical media.[2] Timing was ideal in 2016: post-Pandora/Spotify boom, pre-TikTok short-form video surge, filling a niche for long-form spoken-word comedy discovery when algorithms favored music over niche audio.[1][2] Market forces like rising podcast popularity and demand for personalized, ad-free premium content favored it, influencing the ecosystem by empowering underrepresented comedians with direct fan monetization and exposure tools—pioneering "Pandora for comedy" before broader platforms added humor verticals.[3][5] It highlights how specialized streaming apps can revive underserved genres in a consolidated market.
Laugh.ly pioneered comedy streaming but faces stiff competition from generalists like Spotify and YouTube, plus short-form video shifts; post-2016 funding and redesigns suggest pivot potential toward video/community features.[3][4] Next steps likely include scaling originals, live events, and podcasts per early roadmap, adapting to AI-curated audio trends and creator economies.[1] Its influence could evolve by mentoring comedian-fan platforms or integrating into larger media deals, sustaining as a niche leader if it leverages post-pandemic live comedy resurgence—proving specialized audio endures in a video-heavy world, much like its founding mission to make comedians laugh to the bank.[1][2]
Laugh.ly has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Laugh.ly's investors include Michael Palitz, Barbara Corcoran Venture Partners, Barbara Corcoran, Accelerator Ventures, Atlas Holdings, Arlan Hamilton, Social Capital, Treehouse Capital, Wharton Alumni Angel Network.