Why investors are betting $1.1M on your internet obsessions
Lore, the search engine focused on obsessions.
⏱️ Too busy to read for 7 minutes? Here’s the TLDR Summary:
📈 A new search engine called Lore just raised $1.1M to help obsessive fans navigate deeper into their favorite topics—and it reveals a massive market opportunity.
🎯 Niche passion communities represent untapped goldmines that traditional search engines completely miss.
💡 Smart investors are recognizing that depth, not breadth, drives the most valuable user engagement in today’s digital landscape.
The million-dollar rabbit hole problem
This isn’t just another search engine story—it’s a masterclass in identifying underserved market segments.
Here’s what caught my attention: Lore is specifically designed for obsessive fans who want to dive deep into internet rabbit holes. While Google optimizes for quick answers, Lore optimizes for endless exploration within niche communities.
I’ve watched countless startups chase the “everything for everyone” approach. Lore is doing the opposite, and that’s exactly why investors are paying attention.
Why traditional search fails passionate communities
Let me share something I discovered while consulting for a client in the entertainment industry three years ago. We were trying to understand how fans consumed content about their favorite franchises, and the research revealed a fascinating gap.
When someone searches “Marvel theories” on Google, they get surface-level articles from major publications. But what they really want is to discover that 47-comment Reddit thread where someone connected obscure details from a 1970s comic to last week’s Disney+ episode. That’s where the real value lies for passionate fans.
Traditional search engines are optimized for:
Quick, definitive answers
High-authority domains
Broad appeal content
Commercial intent
But passionate communities thrive on:
Deep, exploratory journeys
Authentic community voices
Highly specific, niche content
Discovery intent
The economics of obsession
Passionate fan communities represent some of the most valuable user segments in digital markets. I’ve seen this firsthand when advising companies on customer acquisition strategies.
Here’s why investors are betting on Lore’s approach:
While a casual user might spend 30 seconds on a search result, obsessive fans will spend 30 minutes exploring interconnected content. That’s not just better engagement metrics—that’s a fundamentally different business model opportunity.
Passionate fans don’t just consume content—they create it, curate it, and pay for premium experiences around it.
Lore’s positioning suggests they understand this dynamic. By focusing on helping users discover and connect fan-generated content, they’re building infrastructure for community-driven value creation.
The rabbit hole as a feature, not a bug
Most search experiences are designed to get users to their destination as quickly as possible. But Lore is treating the journey itself as the destination. This is a brilliant strategic insight that I wish more of my consulting clients understood.
Think about it: when someone falls down a rabbit hole about their favorite TV show, conspiracy theory, or hobby, they’re not trying to complete a task—they’re trying to deepen their understanding and connection to something they care about.
The $1.1M bet on Lore is really a bet on the thesis that passionate engagement beats casual consumption in terms of long-term value creation.
Sometimes the best business opportunities are hiding in the rabbit holes we thought were just distractions.