Lenny

What Lenny does

Lenny (Lenny.fm) is a podcast listener support platform operated by Nearly Media Pty Ltd, an Australian private company based in Melbourne. The platform enables independent podcast creators to receive recurring monthly financial support directly from their listeners, replacing or supplementing ad-based monetization with subscription revenue from the audience. Listeners subscribe at $4 per month at the entry tier, with newer tiers at $8, $12, and $24, and creators receive the bulk of those payments minus a 10% platform fee processed through Stripe. Lenny was founded by Courtney Carthy alongside three developers (Andrew, Dan, and Adam), and the company operates with a team of four people.

The product is purpose-built for podcast monetization, positioning itself as a domain-specific alternative to general creator-economy platforms such as Patreon. Functionally, Lenny handles the payment infrastructure, subscription management, and privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA, POPI) required to convert listener loyalty into recurring revenue across multiple jurisdictions. Named customers and endorsements include Climactic, The Junkees, Ingredipedia, Nearly Media's own podcast network (with roughly 120,000 downloads per month), and Slate's Mia Lobel, indicating traction within independent and niche podcast networks rather than enterprise media.

The business model is a take-rate model: Lenny retains 10% of creator payouts and passes the remainder to creators. The company is bootstrapped with no external funding, which constrains marketing investment and growth velocity but preserves founder control and equity. No revenue figures, creator counts, or ARR are publicly disclosed. As of mid-2025, the team remains small at four people, with active product development focused on pricing tiers and platform features rather than AI-driven functionality.

Name

Lenny

Legal name

Nearly Media Pty Ltd

Website

https://creators.lenny.fm

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lenny (Lenny.fm) is a podcast-native listener support platform that lets independent podcast creators receive recurring monthly subscriptions from their audiences, taking a 10% platform fee on creator payouts processed via Stripe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Monetization Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Ad Sales Networks & Monetization Platforms (MPACADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Podcast Measurement, Attribution & Audience Insights (MPACADAI), Podcast Hosting Platforms (RSS, Analytics, Distribution) (MPACADAA)

Keywords

• Podcast monetization platform
• Listener support service
• Creator subscription platform
• Podcast funding platform
• Audio creator payments

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Platform Transaction Fee: Lenny charges a 10% fee when podcast creators withdraw accumulated listener support funds. Listeners pay $4/month which is split between their top 1-4 chosen podcasts. Creators receive no new app or algorithm requirements.
2. Payment Processing: Payment processing fees charged by Stripe and passed through to creators. Lenny uses Stripe for secure payment handling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Lenny operates a two-sided podcast monetization platform where listeners subscribe for $4 per month and split contributions equally across their top 1-4 chosen podcasts. Independent podcast creators opt into the Creator Portal to accumulate listener support funds, which they can withdraw on demand with Lenny retaining a 10% platform fee. The platform does not require listeners to install a new app or creators to produce bonus content, integrating with existing podcast hosting and listening workflows via RSS.

Product overview

Lenny is a dual-sided podcast monetization platform consisting of two interconnected products: the Lenny.fm listener web application and the Creator Portal. Listeners use Lenny.fm to subscribe and contribute $4 per month (with new tiers of $8, $12, $24) split between their top 1-4 chosen podcasts. The Creator Portal enables podcast creators to opt-in, accumulate funds, and receive payouts via Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer. The platform charges a 10% fee on withdrawals, positioning itself as more equitable than ad agencies (~50% cut) or other subscription platforms (8-30%). The system works alongside existing podcast hosting and listening apps without requiring additional content creation from creators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lenny.fm Listener Platform Web application that lets podcast listeners subscribe monthly ($4 default tier, with $8/$12/$24 tiers) and split contributions equally across their top 1-4 chosen podcasts, without needing a new listening app.
• Creator Portal Free dashboard for podcast creators to opt into receiving listener support, accumulate funds, and request payouts. Creators can see which other podcasts their supporters also listen to for collaboration opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 supporters = approximately $90/month for a podcast
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is the primary payment processor handling all financial transactions on Lenny.fm. Used for secure payment processing, subscriber management, and creator payouts.
• AIR (Association of Independents in Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLenny founder Courtney Carthy presented to AIR Members about the platform. Lenny offered free 3-month AIR membership to Creator Portal members. AIR is a community of independent audio professionals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Buy Me a Coffee: Lightweight creator tipping/membership platform referenced by Lenny's positioning; serves a similar small-dollar recurring support use case for creators.
• Supporting Cast: Podcast-native membership platform built by Relay FM; directly comparable offering for listener-supported independent podcasts.
• Glow: Listener-funded podcast platform that distributes a share of subscription revenue to member shows; overlaps with Lenny's bundle-and-distribute monetization concept.
• Patreon: Largest subscription-based creator support platform; Lenny explicitly positions against Patreon's fee structure and bonus-content model as a podcast-specialized alternative.
• Supercast: Podcast-first paid membership platform offering private RSS feeds and listener subscriptions; directly competes for the same independent podcaster customer.
• Memberful: Membership and subscription infrastructure for creators and podcasts; competes in the same recurring-support category with similar opt-in mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• Spotify for Podcasters: Spotify's podcast hosting, monetization, and subscriptions product; a much larger incumbent that controls distribution and listener access at scale.
• Apple Podcasts Subscriptions: Native Apple subscription product for podcast channels; competes with Lenny for paid podcast support but bundled into the dominant Apple Podcasts app.
• Substack: Subscription platform primarily for writers but increasingly used by podcasters for paid newsletters and shows; competes for the same creator-economy wallet.

Others

• Stripe: Lenny's core payments infrastructure partner; not a competitor but an enabling platform whose pricing and product changes directly affect Lenny's unit economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lennyinc_
• Facebookfacebook.com/lennyinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lennygroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/lennyinc_

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lenny