Tsumino
Tsumino was a free, non-commercial image-hosting and file-sharing website for hentai content, launched in 2015 by two co-founders and shut down in 2023 with no sale contemplated.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Tsumino does
Tsumino was a free image-hosting and file-sharing website focused on hentai content, operated as a non-commercial hobby project rather than a revenue-generating business. It was launched in 2015 by two co-founders, Shaikat and Cat (Tweety), who described it as a "fun little idea between me and Cat" that "ended up growing way bigger than we ever expected." The platform served a horizontal consumer base of content consumers and contributors within its niche, with no paid tiers, no subscription plans, and no disclosed monetization mechanism. From a business model perspective, Tsumino explicitly rejected commercialization: the founders stated the service was free because it was built for fun, not for profit, and the project maintained no external investors, no parent company, and no holding structure.
The underlying technology and product surface are described only at a high level as an image-hosting and file-sharing website; no API, integrations, certifications, AI capabilities, or technical stack details are disclosed. The founders operated the platform without any documented partnerships, regulatory filings, M&A activity, or formal corporate governance beyond the two co-founders themselves. There is no evidence of a go-to-market motion, no sales infrastructure, and no enterprise or B2B customer relationships, consistent with a hobby-project posture.
In 2023, the co-founders announced the shutdown of Tsumino, stating that "we felt it was the right time" and explicitly warning that the project is not for sale, that they are not looking for money, and that the community should not trust anyone claiming to sell anything using their names. Operating status is now closed, and the company's current state is cessation rather than contraction. Two funding events (May 2017 for $100,000 and April 2021 for $1,000,000) appear in the input data with undisclosed investors, but these are inconsistent with the founders' own characterization of the project as non-commercial and should be treated as low-confidence noise relative to first-party statements.
Tsumino firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tsumino
- Website
- https://tsumino.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Tsumino was a free, non-commercial image-hosting and file-sharing website for hentai content, launched in 2015 by two co-founders and shut down in 2023 with no sale contemplated.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tsumino industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adult Content Hosting
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Short-Form User-Generated Video Platforms (MPACABAB)
Keywords
Where Tsumino is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Tsumino business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Free service: The project was completely free and not operated for profit. It was described as a 'fun little idea' built for enjoyment rather than commercial gain.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free service - no tiers |
Tsumino product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tsumino was an image-hosting and file-sharing website that allowed users to upload, browse, and share hentai (adult-oriented) image content. The platform was operated entirely free of charge as a non-commercial hobby project, with the founders serving as community contacts via Discord. It functioned as a niche content community rather than a commercial marketplace.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tsumino Website Free online image-hosting and file-sharing website focused on hentai content, allowing individual users to browse, upload, and share adult-oriented images and related files. Operated by the founders as a non-commercial community resource.
Companies that use Tsumino
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Tsumino technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tsumino partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Tsumino competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Danbooru: Danbooru is a tag-driven anime image-board with strong moderation and a large community. It shares Tsumino's content-hosting, tagging, and community-submission DNA in the anime/adjacent niche.
- Gelbooru: Gelbooru is a long-running image-board for anime/adult content with tagging, search, and community submission features. It mirrors Tsumino's image-board format and free-access model closely.
- nhentai: nhentai is a major hentai doujinshi image-board and reading platform. It overlaps with Tsumino on hosted hentai content, tagging/discovery UX, and a free-access community model.
- Luscious: Luscious is an adult content hosting and community platform with galleries, tagging, and creator uploads. It is directly comparable as a free-access adult content image hosting community.
- E-Hentai: E-Hentai is one of the largest English-language hentai manga image-hosting communities. It is the closest functional analogue to Tsumino, serving the same niche, content type, and community with a free, ad- and donation-supported model.
- e621: e621 is a large tag-based image-board for adult-oriented furry and adjacent art. It is highly comparable to Tsumino in platform mechanics (tagged image board, community submission, free access) within an adjacent adult niche.
- Hentai Foundry: Hentai Foundry is a user-generated hentai art hosting site with creator accounts, galleries, and community features. It is directly comparable in user-generated content hosting and adult-niche community dynamics.
Broad incumbents
- Pixiv: Pixiv is the dominant Japanese creator platform for illustration and manga, with a substantial adult (R-18) section. It is a much larger incumbent in the same creator-content hosting space Tsumino served.
- Sankaku Complex: Sankaku Complex is an anime/otaku news and community site with integrated adult content channels. It overlaps with Tsumino's anime/otaku adult-content audience, though it operates more as a media outlet than a pure image host.
Emerging players
- kemono.party: kemono.party is an emerging community platform that aggregates and hosts creator content with community features. It represents a newer entrant overlapping with Tsumino's user-generated content and community hosting focus.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Tsumino financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tsumino leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Tsumino funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tsumino 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 Tsumino
What does Tsumino do?
Tsumino was an image-hosting and file-sharing website that allowed users to upload, browse, and share hentai (adult-oriented) image content. The platform was operated entirely free of charge as a non-commercial hobby project, with the founders serving as community contacts via Discord. It functioned as a niche content community rather than a commercial marketplace.
Is Tsumino a public or private company?
Tsumino is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Tsumino founded?
Tsumino was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Tsumino based?
Tsumino is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tsumino make money?
One revenue line is on record: free service.
Who are Tsumino's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Danbooru, Gelbooru, nhentai, Luscious, E-Hentai, e621 and Hentai Foundry. Broad incumbents are Pixiv and Sankaku Complex. kemono.party is listed as an emerging player.
Does Tsumino have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tsumino.
What industry is Tsumino in?
Tsumino's product category is Adult Content Hosting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACABAB, Short-Form User-Generated Video Platforms. Its NAICS code is 516210.