When Fandom Becomes a Search Journey: Meet Lore, the Search Engine for Obsessive Fans
Imagine being able to trace every obscure fan theory, Easter egg, or cultural crossover in your favorite universe — not just through random Reddit threads, but via a curated, interactive search experience built just for explorers like you.
That’s the vision behind Lore, a new search platform built to help obsessive fans dive deeper — and now backed with $1.1M in pre-seed funding.
From Tumblr Nights to Startup Dreams
Zehra Naqvi, 26, grew up in the era of Tumblr and early Twitter — staying awake late to analyze Marvel release dates, deconstruct One Direction’s moves, and feed the endless rabbit holes of fandom. Over time, she amassed 250,000 followers across platforms. ([TechCrunch][1])
That “spiral down obsession” experience sparked an idea. Naqvi realized that all those hours of passionate research — theories, timelines, hidden references — were scattered, forgotten, or lost in fragmented corners of the internet. So she built Lore: a platform to aggregate, connect, and present fan knowledge in a meaningful, playful way. ([TechCrunch][1])
What Lore Offers (or Promises)
While Lore remains in stealth mode, Naqvi shared glimpses of its features:
- A personalized graph of obsessions — showing how your fandoms interlink
- A feed of fandom updates — tracking new developments, theories, and interpretations
- Monthly obsession reports — summarizing what’s on your radar
- Zoom-in / zoom-out capabilities — explore one minute theory or widen out to cross-fandom connections ([TechCrunch][1])
In early tests: Lore saw over 1,000 logins, 24,000 searches, and about 200 collective hours of “spiraling” engagement — strong indicator there’s real demand. ([TechCrunch][1])
Lore aims not just to be another search tool, but a space that celebrates the joy of obsession — “where obsession is not embarrassing but sacred.” ([TechCrunch][1])
Why Lore Might Matter (Especially Now)
- Fragmented fandoms: Social media has splintered conversations — Lore wants to weave them back together.
- Beyond dopamine hits: Naqvi argues consumer AI doesn’t have to be just another assistant or shopping tool — it can fuel delight, memory, and passion. ([TechCrunch][1])
- Lurker-first design: It’s built for those who quietly consume, explore, and build knowledge — not necessarily shout it out. ([TechCrunch][1])
Lore’s pitch may draw comparisons to Perplexity, Reddit, or Wikipedia — but its mission is more niche, more playful, more identity-rich. ([TechCrunch][1])
Challenges & Questions Ahead
- Product opacity: Naqvi declined to share images or technical details, citing that the “special sauce” is still guarded. ([TechCrunch][1])
- Competition & differentiation: With AI search, knowledge graphs, fandom platforms all in play — Lore will need to prove what it does uniquely well.
- Monetization & growth: Early traction is promising, but how this evolves into sustainable growth remains to be seen.
Still, Naqvi’s personal narrative — turning fandom into a platform of exploration — gives Lore a compelling origin story. And with serious engagement early on, Lore might just become the go-to “search engine for fandom.”
Glossary
Fandom A community of fans around a specific work (e.g. a book series, movie universe, band), often sharing theories, art, analysis, etc.
Stan A super-dedicated fan (or slang: “stalker + fan”) who often engages deeply with a subject.
Knowledge Graph A structured network of entities (people, places, ideas) and their relationships, used to represent interconnected information.
Rabbit Hole Metaphor for following a series of links or ideas deeper and deeper, often losing track of time or direction.
Stealth Mode In startup terms: operating in private, with limited public info or marketing before official launch.
Source: A new search engine raises $1.1M to let obsessive fans dive down internet rabbit holes, TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/03/a-new-search-engine-raises-1-1m-to-let-obsessive-fans-dive-down-internet-rabbit-holes/
| [1]: https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/03/a-new-search-engine-raises-1-1m-to-let-obsessive-fans-dive-down-internet-rabbit-holes/ “A new search engine raises $1.1M to let obsessive fans dive down internet rabbit holes | TechCrunch” |
