Brands
SOCIAL partners with Big Bang Social
Mumbai: Collective Artists Network’s Big Bang Social and India’s leading casual dining restaurant company, Impresario, behind iconic brands like SOCIAL, antiSOCIAL, and Smoke House Deli, have joined forces to form a unique partnership. SOCIAL provides a natural space for creators to come together, offering a platform where they can collaborate and share their work. By fostering these connections, SOCIAL plays an important role in enabling local communities, creating a vibrant environment where creativity and community spirit thrive.
The essence of this partnership lies in its mission to empower creators across multiple cities to curate compelling narratives that celebrate the essence of their local neighborhoods. From the bustling streets of Hauz Khas to the charm of bylanes of Khar, from the vibrant spirit of Church Street to the yet-to-be-discovered gems, this collaboration brings in a new era of discovery and celebration of local culture.
Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt Ltd chief growth officer Divya Aggarwal commented, “With the creative prowess of creators like comedians, writers, dancers, podcasters, visual design artists, poets, and more, we aim to showcase rich narratives that flaunt different aspects of neighborhoods and bring together local communities in the pincode. This partnership is a milestone development in discovery and celebration of local talents, paving the way for new initiatives in the F&B industry.”
Sharing his thoughts on the partnership, Big Bang Social’s Dhruv Chitgopekar said, “At Big Bang Social, we are committed to providing creators with a platform to amplify their voices and showcase their unique perspectives. In this partnership, we seek to bring in a creative renaissance, where creators are empowered to weave narratives that align with the soul of neighborhoods, giving birth to a sense of exploration and pride in the local culture among patrons of SOCIAL.”
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
