Pornhub Acquired by Private Equity Shop with Mostly Female Advisory Board

Posted on: March 17, 2023, 05:12h. 

Last updated on: March 17, 2023, 05:12h.

Canadian private equity shop Ethical Capital Partners has its first deal with the firm announcing the acquisition of Pornhub owner MindGeek.

Financial terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed. Luxembourg-based MindGeek is privately held and Pornhub has an estimated value of $1.5 billion. The company owns other adult entertainment web properties, including YouPorn, Redtube, Brazzers, Sean Cody, Trans Angels and Nutaku.

Owing to the private equity firm’s name and MindGeek’s primary line of business, some internet ribbing arrived upon news of the deal. That doesn’t appear to be lost on Ethical Capital, which says it takes seriously the legal and regulatory obligations that come along with owning an adult entertainment asset.

We will be engaging with stakeholders, including content creators, governments and industry to address the misalignment between how MindGeek operates and what the public perceives about this industry and these platforms,” said Ethical Capital founding partner Sarah Bain in a statement. “We will work with the team to ensure their commitment to trust and safety is communicated clearly with all stakeholders and the public.”

Interestingly, five of the six advisory board members at Montreal-based Ethical Capital are women. The other is Dr. Val Webber who uses they/them pronouns.

Pornhub Gaming Angles

There have long been links between the adult entertainment and casino-gaming industries — some direct, others indirect.

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Ethical Capital doesn’t mention plans to pursue more direct investments in the casino-gaming industry, but there are long-running ties between that group and the private equity universe.

Other Ethical Capital, Pornhub Synergies

Members of Ethical Capital’s advisory board have ties to the adult entertainment industry, indicating the private equity firm has the resources necessary to keep it on the straight-and-narrow when it comes to compliance and regulatory issues.

For example, the aforementioned Webber has over 15 years of experience in the sexual health field and sex worker advocacy.

Maggie MacDonald, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, is conducting research examining “transformations in pornography brought about through platforms, documenting changing dynamics around technology, labor, governance and cultural production in the porn industry,” according to Ethical Capital.

The private equity firm, which highlights a focus on ethics-first investing, doesn’t mention how much capital it has on hand or when the acquisition of the Pornhub parent will close.

Source: casino.org