Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), a private equity firm managed by a multidisciplinary team with regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement, and finance experience, today announced that it has acquired MindGeek, a technology and media company, owner of a large portfolio of adult entertainment properties, including Pornhub, YouPorn, Redtube, Brazzers, Men.com, Sean Cody, Trans Angels, and Nutaku.

“My partners at ECP and I have legal, regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement, and finance backgrounds. We consult with a broad and diverse advisory team, with deep knowledge of trust and safety, financial compliance, and academia. We are committed to bringing these voices together in consultative, research, and advisory capacities. We know that public and transparent dialogue is the only path forward to destigmatize the legal choices of adult performers and consumers. We are engaged with the team at MindGeek and with stakeholders, including content creators, advocates, law enforcement, civil society partners, and policy makers to inform our efforts and strengthen MindGeek’s secure platforms, going beyond legal and regulatory obligations.” – Solomon Friedman, founding partner, ECP

MindGeek is a dynamic tech company that manages some of the most popular adult entertainment platforms in the world. MindGeek platforms feature the best selection of award-winning adult content and performers, the most extensive collection of high-quality adult videos, and the most user-friendly experience for viewers.

With an emphasis on supporting its community and freedom of expression, MindGeek’s platforms have risen to the forefront of Trust & Safety, employing industry-leading compliance and content moderation practices.

MindGeek is committed to quality adult entertainment made by and for consenting adults on platforms that set the standard for trust and safety and instituting compliance measures that surpass those of other platforms on the internet. With the support of ECP, MindGeek will further its research and adoption of the latest and best available online safety protocols to ensure that it remains a world-class leader in trust and safety and its platforms are inclusive, sex-positive spaces for adults.

“MindGeek is the most dynamic and empowering tech platform in the world. We are proud to support and cultivate a strong community of content creators to express themselves, while also maintaining safe online platforms. We are excited for this next chapter of MindGeek. We look forward to working with the ECP team and are confident that, with their support, we will continue to revolutionize safe, legal, sex-positive tech, and connect adult users around the globe with creators, content, advertising partners, and technology they can trust. Thank you to everyone at MindGeek and to our entire community for your unwavering commitment to our core values of Consent, Freedom of Sexual Expression, Authenticity, Originality, and Diversity.” – MindGeek Management

Leveraging ECP’s experience and expertise to further position MindGeek as the internet’s most popular platform for adult content. ECP’s partners and advisors, who represent a broad range of experts and stakeholders across law enforcement, legal, regulatory, public engagement, and finance, will partner with MindGeek to ensure its platforms are at the forefront of innovation, and trust and safety on the internet, and remain home to an inclusive global community of adult creators, performers, artists and users celebrating creative and sexual expression.

Investing in MindGeek as the internet leader in fighting illegal online content. ECP believes the internet should be safe for all – with child protection, intimate image security, and digital self-determination at the core of our values, and that MindGeek must play a leading role in the fight against illegal content across the internet.

Unlocking shareholder value through state-of-the-art tech and IP investments. ECP will add to the success that MindGeek continues to build by unlocking further value by way of investing in world-class content companies, safety technologies, and audience engagement.

The terms of the transaction are private and are not being publicly disclosed.

“At ECP, we seek out innovative and ethically-driven companies that operate at the frontier of new, evolving industries. In MindGeek, we have identified a dynamic tech brand that is built upon a foundation of trust, safety, and compliance, and with ECP’s resources and broad expertise spanning regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement, and finance, we have a unique opportunity to strengthen what already exists.” – Fady Mansour, founding partner, ECP

“We are confident that the MindGeek team and all MindGeek platforms operate with trust and safety at the forefront of everything they do. We will be engaging with stakeholders, including content creators, governments, and the industry, to address the misalignment between how MindGeek operates and what the public perceives about this industry and these platforms. We will work with the team to ensure their commitment to trust, and safety is communicated clearly with all stakeholders and the public.” – Sarah Bain, founding partner, ECP

“The adult entertainment industry will always be the subject of significant legal and regulatory scrutiny. We are highly aware that mere regulatory compliance is not enough and that MindGeek must reassure, communicate and take on a more visible leadership role. Our pre-close reviews revealed that MindGeek operates legally and responsibly. We look forward to communicating the path forward for MindGeek and its holdings.” – Derek Ogden, founding partner, ECP

“ECP seeks out investment opportunities in industries that require principled ethical leadership. Our philosophy is rooted in identifying properties amenable to our responsible investment approach and that have the potential to create attractive returns over a compelling time horizon. We believe the adult entertainment industry is being influenced by evolving public views and regulatory approaches, and the time is appropriate for evolving this business.” – Rocco Meliambro, Chair, ECP

We have reached out to several reps from Mindgeek, and at this time, they don’t have any further comment. Those who were willing to talk didn’t have much to say, other than they are just staying focused on getting their jobs done that on the production level, things aren’t really changing.

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