MintStars
MintStars is a London-based sex-positive content creator platform serving adult creators and fans. It uses Polygon-based USDC payments and NFT collectibles to offer 0% creator fees, instant payouts, and resale royalties, differentiating via privacy-preserving financial infrastructure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersEpsom, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What MintStars does
MintStars is a London-headquartered, sex-positive content creator platform serving adult content creators (models, sex workers, dancers, LGBTQ+ creators) and their fans. Founded in 2022 by Jessica Van Meir and Daniel Sargent after the founders met in 2020, the company was incubated at Harvard Innovation Labs and positions itself explicitly against the financial discrimination, high fees (20–60%), chargebacks, and deplatforming risks that adult creators face on mainstream platforms — MintStars reports that nearly two-thirds of adult creators have lost a bank account or payment app.
The core MintStars Platform enables creators to monetize through subscriptions, limited-edition NFT collectible drops, and marketplace resales where fans can earn royalties by promoting and reselling content. Payments are processed in USDC stablecoin on the Polygon network, with smart contracts handling escrow and royalty distribution — an architecture that bypasses Visa/Mastercard Terms of Service restrictions on adult content. Three product surfaces have been built: the core subscription/marketplace platform (private beta January 2023), MintPay — a standalone tipping tool launched July 2024 that removes the wallet-top-up requirement for fans — and the MintStars Creator Card (November 2025), a privacy-preserving debit card powered by Payy that gives creators instant access to earnings with zero processing fees. The 12-person team is split evenly between technology and sex work industry expertise.
The business model is fan-side, not creator-side: creators pay 0% platform fees and receive 100% of their listed content price, instant payouts with no withdrawal delays, and full protection from chargebacks; the platform instead charges fans a 5% commission on subscriptions and content purchases, a 5% fee on MintPay tips (waived for the first three months), and takes a cut of marketplace resale transactions. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led, driven by creator referrals (averaging 4.1 new creators per enrolled creator), Discord/X/Instagram engagement, podcast appearances, and earned media coverage in mainstream and adult-industry outlets. By Q3 2024 creators on the platform had surpassed a £1 million (≈$1M) annual earnings run rate, with 100,000+ MAU and 22,000 account holders by Q4 2024; total disclosed venture funding is $600K pre-seed (Polygon Labs and SpankChain, May 2023) plus an undisclosed bridge round (Q1 2024) and an undisclosed Seed round (Q4 2024).
MintStars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MintStars
- Legal name
- MintStars LTD
- Website
- https://mintstars.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MintStars is a London-based sex-positive content creator platform serving adult creators and fans. It uses Polygon-based USDC payments and NFT collectibles to offer 0% creator fees, instant payouts, and resale royalties, differentiating via privacy-preserving financial infrastructure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MintStars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adult Content Creator Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Monetization & Tipping Platforms (MPACABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fan Membership, Subscriptions & Patronage Platforms (MPACABAF)
Keywords
Where MintStars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Epsom
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
MintStars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Commission on Fan Purchases: 5% fee charged to fans on subscription purchases and content buys, with creators receiving 100% of their listed content price. This is the primary revenue stream replacing traditional creator fees.
- MintPay Tipping: Tip-based transactions where fans tip creators directly. Platform charges 5% fee (waived for first three months), with 100% of tip going to creator.
- Content Resale Marketplace: Creators earn royalties when fans resell their collectible content on the platform marketplace, creating passive income and aligning incentives between creators and fans
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Creator Account - Free to join |
| Subscription | Monthly | Fan Subscription/Content Purchases |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | MintPay Tipping |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
MintStars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MintStars operates a sex-positive content creator platform that enables adult creators to monetize through subscriptions, limited-edition NFT collectible drops, fan tips, and resale royalties. The platform charges a 5% fee to fans while creators keep 100% of their listed content price, processing payments in USDC stablecoin on Polygon to bypass financial discrimination and chargebacks. Additional offerings include MintPay (standalone tipping tool) and the MintStars Creator Card (privacy-preserving debit card powered by Payy).
Product overview
MintStars is a sex-positive content creator platform built as a unified ecosystem combining NFT-based subscription monetization, collectible content, and creator financial tools. The core MintStars Platform enables creators to earn through subscriptions, limited-edition content drops, and marketplace resales with royalty revenue. MintPay provides standalone tipping functionality allowing fans to tip without accounts. The MintStars Creator Card (powered by Payy) offers debit card access to earnings with privacy-preserving transactions. All payments utilize USDC stablecoin to protect creators from financial discrimination.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MintPay: Tipping tool launched July 2024 that allows fans to tip creators without needing a MintStars account, simplifying the tipping process for adult content creators.
Products and services
- MintStars Platform Sex-positive NFT subscription platform enabling adult content creators to monetize content through subscriptions, collectible NFT drops, and marketplace resales with 100% creator payouts and instant withdrawals. Processes payments in USDC stablecoin to protect creators from chargebacks and financial discrimination.
- MintPay Standalone tipping tool that lets fans send tips to adult content creators without requiring a MintStars account, simplifying support and onboarding. Charges a 5% platform fee with 100% of the tip going to the creator.
- MintStars Creator Card Privacy-preserving debit card built specifically for adult content creators, powered by Payy. Provides instant access to earnings, private transactions, zero withdrawal fees, and global spending power via Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200x revenue growth in 2024
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use MintStars
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
MintStars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
MintStars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, former and minor.
- PayycorePayy provides the privacy-preserving payments infrastructure powering the MintStars Creator Card, the first debit card built specifically for adult content creators with instant access to earnings and zero processing fees.
- YouPaycorePartnership with Australian gifting specialist YouPay to help content creators and fans, creating synergies for professional, trustworthy platforms in the adult content sector. YouPay has 150,000+ users and was founded in 2020.
- CoinflowformerPayment processor partnership that ended on April 4th when Coinflow's banking partner Approvely terminated the partnership, cutting off instant payouts. Coinflow had provided card-based payment processing using traditional card network rails.
- Harvard Innovation LabsminorPlatform was incubated with Harvard Innovation Labs, with co-founder Jessica Van Meir being a PhD student at Harvard Kennedy School researching sex workers' rights.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MintStars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Aylo (formerly MindGeek): Owner of major adult content platforms including Pornhub. Broad incumbent in adult content distribution and monetization; overlapping with MintStars only at the edges (creator earnings), not as a direct subscription competitor.
- Patreon: Largest general creator subscription platform, though historically restrictive on adult content. Comparable as a creator monetization platform with subscription mechanics, but broader in scope and not specialized in adult.
Direct peers
- Fansly: Subscription platform that emerged as a leading OnlyFans alternative, particularly for adult creators. Competes with MintStars on creator fees, payout structure, and adult-friendly content policies.
- LoyalFans: Adult content creator subscription platform with features including messaging, tips, and live streaming. Competes head-to-head with MintStars on the core subscription-plus-tip monetization model.
- ManyVids: Marketplace-style platform for adult content creators offering videos, clips, and custom content. Overlaps with MintStars on adult content monetization and creator marketplace dynamics.
- JustForFans: Subscription platform built specifically for adult content creators with focus on fetish, kink, and LGBTQ+ creators. Competes with MintStars in the same adult creator monetization space.
- OnlyFans: The dominant subscription platform for adult content creators with millions of creators and billions in creator payouts. Direct competitor to MintStars on the core offering of creator subscriptions, tips, and content monetization in the adult vertical.
- SpankChain: Crypto-native adult entertainment platform and one of MintStars' lead investors. Directly comparable as a blockchain-based adult creator monetization platform with a similar sex-worker-focused mission.
- FanCentro: Creator subscription and social media platform serving adult and influencer creators. Direct competitor in adult creator monetization with a similar all-in-one platform approach.
Others
- Payy: Privacy-preserving payments infrastructure provider powering the MintStars Creator Card. Adjacent rather than competitive; represents the fintech infrastructure layer MintStars depends on for fiat on/off-ramps and card issuance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MintStars social profiles
Digital presenceMintStars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MintStars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
MintStars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MintStars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MintStars
What does MintStars do?
MintStars operates a sex-positive content creator platform that enables adult creators to monetize through subscriptions, limited-edition NFT collectible drops, fan tips, and resale royalties. The platform charges a 5% fee to fans while creators keep 100% of their listed content price, processing payments in USDC stablecoin on Polygon to bypass financial discrimination and chargebacks. Additional offerings include MintPay (standalone tipping tool) and the MintStars Creator Card (privacy-preserving debit card powered by Payy).
Is MintStars a public or private company?
MintStars is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was MintStars founded?
MintStars was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MintStars based?
MintStars is headquartered in Epsom, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does MintStars make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Platform Commission on Fan Purchases are the primary driver. The others are mintPay Tipping and content Resale Marketplace.
Who are MintStars's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Aylo (formerly MindGeek) and Patreon. Direct peers are Fansly, LoyalFans, ManyVids, JustForFans, OnlyFans, SpankChain and FanCentro. Payy is listed as an others.
Does MintStars have an API?
No public API is recorded for MintStars.
What industry is MintStars in?
MintStars's product category is Adult Content Creator Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACABAE, Creator Monetization & Tipping Platforms, with a secondary code of MPACABAF, Fan Membership, Subscriptions & Patronage Platforms. Its NAICS code is 516210.