Omaze is a technology company.
Omaze has raised $124.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Omaze.
Omaze has raised $124.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Omaze.
Omaze has raised $124.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Omaze's investors include Accomplice VC, Andreessen Horowitz, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bono, Crosscut Ventures, Expa, FirstMark Capital, FTX Ventures, Gaingels, General Catalyst, Tom Hulme, H.I.G. Capital.
Omaze is a for-profit entertainment and fundraising company, not a traditional technology company, that runs prize draws where participants buy entries for chances to win experiences or houses, with a portion of proceeds donated to charities.[1][2][3] It partners with nonprofits to raise funds efficiently—up to 40x more than traditional auctions—by offering high-value prizes like luxury homes or celebrity meetups, serving donors seeking excitement alongside impact while empowering charities with marketing, tech, and fulfillment support.[3][4] As of July 2025, Omaze has raised over $250 million globally, with a goal of $1 billion in a single year, though it paused U.S. operations in 2023 to focus on UK house draws and expanded to Germany.[1][4]
Growth has shifted from U.S.-based experience draws to scalable house raffles, doubling business pre-2020 pivot amid funding challenges, with strong UK traction via partnerships like Teenage Cancer Trust and British Heart Foundation.[1][2][7]
Omaze was founded in 2012 in Culver City (later Marina del Rey), California, by Matthew Pohlson and Ryan Cummins, who met at Stanford University in the late 1990s.[1][3] The idea sparked in 2011 at a Boys & Girls Clubs of America charity event in Los Angeles, inspiring a public-access model for high-impact fundraising beyond elite galas.[1][6] They launched with celebrity-experience sweepstakes, quickly raising millions for over 400 charities worldwide.[3][4]
Pivotal shifts included co-founder Cummins stepping away in 2018, with Pohlson as CEO; a 2020 UK launch with the Million Pound House Draw amid U.S. scalability issues; full transition to house draws by 2023; U.S. pause and layoffs of 103 employees in late 2022; and HQ relocation to London.[1][7] Early UK draws proved the model, raising £250,000+ per campaign and attracting inbound charity partnerships.[2]
Omaze rides the trend of gamified philanthropy and digital fundraising, transforming charity from obligation to entertainment via online platforms that leverage e-commerce, data-driven marketing, and viral social mechanics.[3][9] Timing aligned with post-2020 digital giving surges and remote engagement needs, proving raffles' scalability amid declining traditional events.[2][7]
Market forces like consumer demand for "win-win" giving—impact plus prizes—favor it, especially in regulated UK/Germany markets post-U.S. pivot, while influencing ecosystems by democratizing access: small donors fund big causes, charities gain tech edges without overhead.[1][2][4] It sets a blueprint for hybrid for-profit/nonprofit tech models, boosting awareness for partners like heart foundations and cancer trusts amid broader edtech/fintech philanthropy shifts.[2]
Omaze's house-draw dominance positions it for accelerated growth in Europe, potentially hitting $1B annual fundraising via more markets, refined tech for personalization, and aggregator partnerships for smaller charities.[1][2][4][7] Trends like AI-optimized draws, Web3 incentives, and global remote giving will amplify scalability, though regulatory hurdles in new regions loom.
Its influence may evolve from U.S. pioneer to international standard-setter, redefining tech-enabled charity as accessible thrills—not just transactions—building on $250M raised to empower a new donor generation.[1][3]
Omaze has raised $124.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $85.0M Series C in September 2021.
