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Ranker is a technology company.
Ranker operates an opinion-based, crowdsourced ranking platform, systematically collecting preferences across entertainment and pop culture. It applies machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to process vast user-generated data. This technical framework generates dynamic insights into consumer interests and cultural trends, powering its content galleries and recommendation systems.
Founded in 2009 by Clark Benson, Ranker originated from his insight into the pervasive human desire to rank and categorize topics. Benson envisioned a digital platform structuring aggregated public opinion on diverse entertainment and lifestyle subjects. This system allows individual votes to contribute to statistically significant data, reflecting popular sentiment.
The platform engages a broad audience passionate about popular culture, also serving businesses with audience targeting and consumer behavior insights. Ranker aims to be the definitive source for fan-powered opinions and data. The company continuously refines its analytical capabilities, deepening its understanding of public taste and influence.
Ranker has raised $5.8M across 4 funding rounds.
Ranker has raised $5.8M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Ranker is a Los Angeles-based technology company that operates the leading platform for fan-powered rankings across topics like TV, movies, video games, sports, brands, and food, attracting over 30 million monthly unique visitors worldwide.[1][2] It serves consumers seeking crowd-sourced opinions and marketers via Ranker Insights, a psychographic data tool powered by over 1.4 billion votes, offering personalized recommendations (e.g., "if you like X, you’ll also like Y, Z") and audience insights for CTV and addressable TV campaigns in a cookieless world; additionally, it launched Watchworthy in 2020, a statistically relevant, crowd-sourced TV recommendation app.[1][2] With 201-500 employees (recently cited at 88-80), $22.3 million in revenue, and recognitions like Inc. 5000 (2020), Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2019), and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies (2021, No. 5), Ranker demonstrates strong growth momentum backed by investors including Draper Associates and Chris Sacca’s Lowercase Capital.[1][2]
Ranker was founded by Clark Benson, a serial entrepreneur with four prior startups, including eCrush (a top-10 online dating service acquired by Hearst).[1] The company emerged to democratize rankings by empowering millions of fans over critics, building on massive user votes to create actionable insights. Early traction came from rapid scaling to billions of votes, leading to product expansions like Watchworthy and business solutions for entertainment brands, with headquarters in Los Angeles and a remote-friendly culture.[1][2][3]
(Note: Search results distinguish this Ranker from unrelated entities like Ranker Technologies, a Pakistan-based digital marketing agency founded in 2019.[4][5])
Ranker rides the crowd-sourced data and personalization trend in media and entertainment, capitalizing on the shift to CTV/streaming amid declining cookies and rising demand for authentic consumer signals.[2] Timing aligns with post-2020 privacy regulations and SVOD fragmentation, where its vote-driven insights provide scalable alternatives to traditional demographics, influencing marketers, studios, and platforms by powering targeted campaigns and recommendations.[1][2] In the ecosystem, it bridges user-generated content with B2B data solutions, enhancing discovery in a $100B+ digital ad market and fostering fan engagement akin to Reddit or Letterboxd but with proprietary analytics.
Ranker is poised to expand Ranker Insights amid AI-driven personalization and further CTV growth, potentially integrating more machine learning for predictive tastes or partnerships with streaming giants. Trends like zero-party data and interactive media will amplify its edge, evolving it from rankings site to indispensable insights provider—cementing its role as fan voices shape entertainment's future, much like its core mission of putting votes in users' hands.[1][2][3]
Ranker has raised $5.8M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Ranker's investors include Bullpen Capital, Data Collective, Draper Associates, Chris Sacca, Pasadena Angels, Rincon Venture Partners, Siemer Ventures, Tech Coast Angels, TenOneTen Ventures, Accomplice VC, Tim Draper, Gil Elbaz.
Ranker has raised $5.8M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Other Equity in June 2013.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2013 | $2.0M Other Equity | Bullpen Capital, Data Collective, Draper Associates, Chris Sacca, Pasadena Angels, Rincon Venture Partners, Siemer Ventures, Tech Coast Angels, TenOneTen Ventures | |
| Jun 1, 2013 | $2.0M Venture Round | Accomplice VC | |
| Apr 1, 2011 | $1.0M Series A | Tim Draper | Gil Elbaz, Newport Coast Investments, Pasadena Angels, Rincon Venture Partners, Siemer Ventures |
| Feb 5, 2010 | $750K Seed | Siemer Ventures |