Built the first mainstream creator-to-fan platform that let adult performers bypass middlemen and keep 80% of revenue. Launched right before COVID lockdowns turned isolation into explosive 75% monthly growth.
What Changed
Banking system turned hostile — Metro Bank, JP Morgan, Mastercard all threatened to cut them off. Then AI arrived, enabling fake creators and automated scams that exposed the platform's parasocial relationship fraud. Owner Leonid Radvinsky, dying of cancer, tried to sell at a discount.
Where it Landed
Still printing $700M annually for the owner, but untouchable by most investors. Sale attempts failing — dropped from $8B to $5.5B asking price. AI threatens to replace both creators and the scammy agencies that run their accounts.
The Principles
1.
Know when to exit. Radvinsky pulled $1.4B in dividends then sold at a discount — he saw the headwinds coming before the market did.
2.
Financial infrastructure is a moat or a noose. When banks and credit cards can kill your business overnight, you don't own your destiny.
3.
Scammy growth creates fragile businesses. Building revenue on fake relationships and call-center deception works until customers wise up and regulators circle.
Builder's Takeaway
If your business lives in the gray zone:
•
Banking access isn't guaranteed — one policy change can shut you down overnight
•
Operational shortcuts (fake DMs, offshore agencies) become legal and PR liabilities
•
Extract cash early — stigmatized businesses sell at massive discounts regardless of profits
