OnlyFans — the sprawling adult creator network where artists and influencers sell subscription content directly to fans — is considering selling a majority stake of its business to investment firm Architect Capital, a source familiar with the deal told TechCrunch. The deal would value the platform at $5.5 billion.
The source said that of this $5.5 billion, $3.5 billion would be equity and $2 billion would be debt. Under these terms, Architect would assume a 60% stake in the company. Both parties are exclusive, which means that OnlyFans does not have the right to negotiate with other potential buyers for a specific period of time. It’s unclear what the timeline might be for closing the deal. The negotiations were previously reported by the Wall Street Journal.
TechCrunch has reached out to Architect Capital for comment.
This isn’t the first time in recent memory that OnlyFans has been in talks to sell its business. Last year, the New York Post reported that Leonid Radvinsky, the site’s billionaire owner, was looking to “cash in” and courting potential buyers. Subsequent report showed that the platform’s parent company, Fenix International Ltd., was in talks with a group of U.S.-based investors led by Los Angeles-based investment firm Forest Road Company. It’s unclear exactly what happened to those discussions, although the source told TechCrunch that there have been a number of interested parties since OnlyFans announced its desire to sell a majority stake.
The potential business partner in this particular transaction, the architect, launched in 2021 as an asset-based lender – a company that provides loans secured by company assets – which seeks to partner with early-stage startups.
OnlyFans maintains that it is not a pornographic website, despite the fact that the majority of creators there produce adult content. A British company, the site was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely, who was also initially the CEO. Stokely sold a majority stake from the site’s parent company, Fenix International, to Radvinsky in 2018. Over the years, it has suffered from various problems legal controversies, including prosecution accusing the site of profiting from abusive videos.
