Snoop Dogg Recognized as Early Investor in Reddit’s Success
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Rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg played a crucial role in the early days of Reddit, the popular social news website and forum created in 2005 by University of Virginia students Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian.
Reddit’s initial vision, to become “the front page of the Internet,” was supported by startup incubator Y Combinator, which provided the fledgling company with $12,000 in funding.
Six years after its launch, Reddit had established itself as a major player in social media, boasting 35 million visitors and 2.8 billion page views, according to Ohanian in Fast Company.
In 2014, Snoop Dogg participated in a $50 million seed funding round led by Sam Altman, now co-founder and CEO of OpenAI.
In a 2017 interview for “GGN News,” Snoop Dogg revealed his involvement in Reddit, saying, “I worked my way in.
You understand me? I didn’t mean to tell everybody, but I’m a part of Reddit too.” Altman noted the rapper’s influence on the platform, describing him as a “Reddit superstar” who was a natural choice for investment.
Reflecting on Snoop Dogg’s early support, Ohanian recently shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, expressing his appreciation for the rapper’s involvement during Reddit’s formative years. “Beautiful day in LA.
I appreciate this city so much. Got to catch up with a lot of friends. Some of you may know @SnoopDogg was one of our earliest investors at @reddit during our spin-out & turnaround,” Ohanian wrote. “Very few people wanted to invest in us back then. Snoop did. And ya never forget your Day Ones.”
Ohanian’s comments highlight the significance of Snoop Dogg’s investment and the lasting impact of his support on the platform’s growth and success.