Passes Inc.
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Social media, Creator economy |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founder | Lucy Guo |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Lucy Guo (CEO) |
| Products | Subscription platform, CRM tools |
| Services | Content monetization, Fan engagement |
| Website | www |
Passes Inc. (founded in 2022) is an American creator monetization and social media platform. A competitor to OnlyFans,[1] it allows content creators to earn revenue directly from their audiences through subscriptions, gated content, and personalized interactions. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.[2]
History
[edit]Passes was founded in 2022 by Lucy Guo, a co-founder of the artificial intelligence company Scale AI.[3]
The company raised $9 million in seed funding in 2022, led by Multicoin Capital, with participation from Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, Jake Paul’s Anti Fund, and Kevin Hartz, Eventbrite co-founder.[4] Two years later, Passes completed a $40 million Series A funding round led by Bond Capital, with additional participation from Crossbeam Ventures and Skims co-founders Emma and Jens Grede. As of 2025, Passes has raised around $50 million in venture capital funding[5] and has paid more than $100 million to creators.[6]
In July 2023, Passes acquired Fanhouse, a competing creator-monetization platform.[7] The following year, the company expanded its operations to include the name, image, and likeness (NIL) market.[4]
Child sexual abuse material
[edit]Passes was reported in 2024 to have allowed an account featuring a 12-year-old selling bikini photos after she had been banned by another platform. The account was removed only after the New York Times requested comment.[8] In 2025, Passes and Guo were sued by another creator who stated that they had distributed sexually abusive material of her when she was a child.[9][10][11] Passes platform denied the allegation stating that individuals involved were not its authorized representatives.[12]
Platform features and business model
[edit]Passes operates as a subscription-based social media platform that allows creators with at least 100,000 followers on other social media platforms to monetize fan engagement. Creators can offer paid subscriptions, subscriber-only posts, direct messaging, livestreams, one-on-one video calls, tipping, and digital merchandise.[5] The company earns revenue through a revenue-sharing model, taking a variable percentage of creator earnings, with certain plans also including transaction fees depending on the services used.[13]
The platform integrates analytics tools, automated sales messaging, tools for live-streaming, tiered subscription levels and content-protection features such as anti-screenshot and anti-screen-recording technology.[5] It also includes CRM tools (customer relationship management system), used by creators to track audience activity and spending patterns.[14]
Passes' platform supports multiple verticals including lifestyle creators, streamers, athletes, etc.[15][16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Martin, Iain. "How Underage Creators Threatened Lucy Guo's OnlyFans Rival Passes". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ Brock, James (2024-03-25). "Passes: Bypassing the Brands". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "Lucy Guo Profile". Forbes. 2025-06-03. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- 1 2 Manfre, Dylan (2024-06-13). "Creator Platform Passes Leans Into NIL to Grow Its Business". Sportico.com. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- 1 2 3 Hinchliffe, Emma (2024-02-29). "Lucy Guo's Passes raises $40 million Series A led by Bond". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ↑ Gagne, Yasmin. "AI made her a billionaire. Now she's using it to help creators maximize their earnings". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ↑ Silberling, Amanda (2023-07-14). "Passes acquired Fanhouse, but some creators are apprehensive". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ↑ Valentino-DeVries, Jennifer; Keller, Michael H. (2024-11-10). "She Was a Child Instagram Influencer. Her Fans Were Grown Men". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ↑ Silberling, Amanda (2025-03-03). "Creator monetization platform Passes sued over alleged distribution of CSAM". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Influencer Sues Social Media Platform Passes for Allegedly Exploiting Her as a Minor". People. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ "Passes: the $9.5M/year softcore OnlyFans growing 1166% year-over-year". sacra.com. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ Silberling, Amanda (2025-03-03). "Creator monetization platform Passes sued over alleged distribution of CSAM". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
- ↑ Muppidi, Sri. "Lucy Guo's second act: After the 29-year-old left Scale AI, she has the 'itch to build' something new". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ↑ Shepherd, Ian (2024-07-31). "Meet The Entrepreneur Turning Content Creators Into Millionaires". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ Tudoran, Paula. "Lucy Guo, Billionaire Behind Scale AI, Launches Passes For Celebs Like Olivia Dunne And Bella Thorne To Transform Creator Economy". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "Michigan athletes get access to school brands for NIL in Passes partnership". Sports Business Journal. 2026-01-31. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- Nesi, Chris (2025-03-03). "Lucy Guo sued for allegedly allowing child porn on her social media platform for influencers and fans". Retrieved 2026-03-09.
- Martin, Iain. "How Underage Creators Threatened Lucy Guo's OnlyFans Rival Passes". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2025-12-13. Retrieved 2026-03-09.