Hornet
Hornet is a remote-first LGBTQ+ social network and queer media platform serving gay, bi, trans, and queer men worldwide via feed-based apps, live streaming, and editorial content, monetized through advertising and tiered premium subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hornet does
Hornet (legally Queer Networks, Inc.) is a Los Angeles–headquartered, remote-first social networking and media company serving LGBTQ+ men worldwide through its core Hornet app. Founded in 2011 by Christof Wittig, the platform describes itself as 'the world's leading queer media company,' combining feed-based social networking, chat, video, live streaming (Hornet Live), and map-based web discovery (HornetX) for gay, bi, trans, and queer users across more than 100 million registered accounts. The technical stack centers on iOS and Android apps distributed through Apple App Store and Google Play (10M+ downloads on the latter) plus a web front-end, with localized editions of alternative apps (Hornet Stories, Hornet Core) deployed in markets where the main app has been removed from storefronts (Russia, Malaysia, Türkiye). The company curates editorial content under a 'Stories' vertical covering queer news, entertainment, health, culture, travel, and sports, and runs community programs such as a Beta Tester program (56,759 members) and a Health Ambassador program (808 members).
Hornet monetizes through two primary streams: LGBTQ+-targeted brand advertising (validated by Nielsen and Kantar studies, with rate cards available via [email protected]) and a freemium subscription stack (Hornet Plus, Hornet Premium, Hornet Max) sold on 1-month or 1-year cadences, including gift subscriptions. Premium features concentrate on visibility, ad removal, chat enhancements, and unlimited access. Distribution is multi-channel across app marketplaces, the company's web platform, and real-world events led by the Hornet Model Search competition (Thailand 2025; Thailand and Türkiye 2026). Capital formation has been modest but selective: a 2012 seed led by 500 Global ($500K) and a 2016 Series A led by Ventech China ($8M), alongside a 2016 acquisition of Vespa.
Hornet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hornet
- Legal name
- Queer Networks, Inc.
- Website
- https://hornet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hornet is a remote-first LGBTQ+ social network and queer media platform serving gay, bi, trans, and queer men worldwide via feed-based apps, live streaming, and editorial content, monetized through advertising and tiered premium subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hornet industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Networking / LGBTQ+ Dating Platform
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gaming & Virtual World Social Platforms (MPACAJAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gaming Social Networks & Community Platforms (profiles, guilds, forums, discovery) (MPAFAIAD), Gaming Community, Chat & LFG Platforms (BPAMAKAK)
Keywords
Where Hornet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Hornet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising: Brand advertising targeting LGBTQ+ demographic. Hornet positions itself as the world's leading queer media company with curated content from editors and community leaders. Media kit and reports (Nielsen, Kantar) available for advertisers.
- Premium Subscriptions: Freemium model with three tiers: Hornet Plus, Hornet Premium, and Hornet Max. Available as 1-month or 1-year subscriptions. Premium features include ad-free experience, enhanced visibility, and additional chat capabilities.
- Gift Subscriptions: Users can purchase Hornet Premium as a gift for friends through the in-app shop
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with basic chat and discovery features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Hornet Plus - Entry-level premium subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Hornet Premium - Mid-tier premium subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Hornet Max - Top-tier premium subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hornet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hornet (Queer Networks, Inc.) operates a feed-based queer social networking platform accessible via iOS, Android, and web, where gay, bi, trans, and queer men can discover users, chat, video call, watch live streams, share posts and stories, and engage with curated LGBTQ+ editorial content. The platform is sold to consumers via a freemium app with tiered subscriptions (Hornet Plus, Hornet Premium, Hornet Max) and to advertisers via a brand-partnership ad business positioning Hornet as a queer media company.
Product overview
Hornet is a queer social network platform consisting of multiple interconnected products: the core Hornet gay chat app (with over 100 million users worldwide), Hornet Live for gay live-streaming, and HornetX, a map-based web app. The platform offers tiered subscription services through Hornet Premium, Hornet Plus, and Hornet Max. In response to regional app store removals, Hornet has also released temporary alternative apps including Hornet Stories and Hornet Core in markets like Russia, Malaysia, and Türkiye. The platform emphasizes community features including user feeds, video sharing, stories, and real-world events like the Hornet Model Search competition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hornet Live: The gay live-streaming app by Hornet, allowing users to live stream and connect with the LGBTQ+ community.
- HornetX
- Hornet Core
- Hornet Stories
Products and services
- Hornet (main app) Core gay social networking application for iOS, Android, and web, enabling users to discover and chat with other gay, bi, trans, and queer men, browse a feed of posts and short videos, use hashtags and filters, and watch live content.
- Hornet Live Dedicated gay live-streaming product from Hornet, allowing users to broadcast and watch live video content within the LGBTQ+ community.
- HornetX Map-based web application for gay men enabling location-based discovery and connections.
- Hornet V9 (major app update) Hornet Version 9 (V9) major update transforming how gay men connect digitally, adding video chat capabilities, sticker packs, video story tools, video messaging, screenshot blocking, and private photo management.
- Hornet Premium subscription tier Subscription tier offering enhanced features including unlimited access, more photos, ad-free experience, enhanced visibility, and additional chat capabilities, sold as 1-month or 1-year subscriptions, also available as gifts.
- Hornet Plus subscription tier Entry-level premium subscription tier above the free plan, sold as 1-month or 1-year subscriptions with enhanced core features.
- Hornet Max subscription tier Top-tier subscription with full feature access and maximum benefits, sold as 1-month or 1-year subscriptions.
- Hornet Model Search 2026 Annual model-search competition (Hornet Model Search Thailand 2026, Hornet Model Search Türkiye 2026) engaging users and creating brand ambassadors for Hornet.
- Hornet Stories (regional alternative app) Temporary alternative app released in markets where the main Hornet app faced App Store removal (Türkiye, Malaysia, Russia), providing continued access to chat, live streaming, and safety features for the LGBTQ+ community in those regions.
- Hornet Core (Russia alternative app) Limited-features alternative application released in Russia following the main Hornet app's App Store removal, enabling nearby connections, chat, and live streaming.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.3+ Million Monthly Active Users
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hornet
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hornet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Hornet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hornet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Taimi: LGBTQ+ social networking and dating app with overlapping features (feed, chat, live, video) and a comparable queer-first value proposition, though with a smaller user base than Hornet.
- Feeld: Alternative dating and connection app with strong LGBTQ+ adoption and a similar freemium-with-premium subscription model, partially overlapping Hornet's queer, non-monogamy-curious audience.
Direct peers
- Blued: Chinese gay social network that, like Hornet, combines dating, live streaming, and community features. Notably also backed by Ventech Capital, making it a directly comparable international peer.
- Grindr: The largest gay, bi, trans, and queer social networking and dating app globally and Hornet's most direct head-to-head competitor, with overlapping user base, features (chat, video, live), and advertiser relationships.
- Jack'd: Gay, bi, trans, and queer social and dating app acquired by Perry Street Software, with overlapping feature set (chat, photo sharing, discovery) and a comparable target audience to Hornet.
- Scruff: Gay dating and social networking app with a similar freemium + premium subscription model and LGBTQ+-focused community features, directly competing for the same male user demographic.
- GROWLr: Gay social and dating app with a strong bear-community focus, sharing Hornet's freemium dating/social model and direct audience overlap among gay men.
- PlanetRomeo (Romeo): European-headquartered gay social network and dating platform, offering similar chat, community, and discovery features for LGBTQ+ men and competing with Hornet across global markets.
Broad incumbents
- Tinder: Mainstream dating app owned by Match Group; not LGBTQ+-specific but absorbs a large share of queer dating demand, sets pricing benchmarks for premium subscriptions, and is the source of Hornet's VP Marketing.
- Bumble: Public mainstream dating app with LGBTQ+-inclusive features (Bumble BFF, Bumble Bizz, same-sex matching) that compete for the same dating-and-connection use cases as Hornet.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hornet social profiles
Digital presenceHornet financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hornet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Hornet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hornet M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hornet
What does Hornet do?
Hornet (Queer Networks, Inc.) operates a feed-based queer social networking platform accessible via iOS, Android, and web, where gay, bi, trans, and queer men can discover users, chat, video call, watch live streams, share posts and stories, and engage with curated LGBTQ+ editorial content. The platform is sold to consumers via a freemium app with tiered subscriptions (Hornet Plus, Hornet Premium, Hornet Max) and to advertisers via a brand-partnership ad business positioning Hornet as a queer media company.
Is Hornet a public or private company?
Hornet is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Hornet founded?
Hornet was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hornet based?
Hornet is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hornet make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are premium Subscriptions and gift Subscriptions.
Who are Hornet's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Taimi and Feeld. Direct peers are Blued, Grindr, Jack'd, Scruff, GROWLr and PlanetRomeo (Romeo). Broad incumbents are Tinder and Bumble.
Does Hornet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hornet.
What industry is Hornet in?
Hornet's product category is Social Networking / LGBTQ+ Dating Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAJAG, Gaming & Virtual World Social Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAFAIAD, Gaming Social Networks & Community Platforms (profiles, guilds, forums, discovery). Its SIC code is 7990.