About Planet Out
Planet Out is a Media & Entertainment company based in Los Angeles (United States) founded in 1995, and was acquired by Here Media in January 2009. An online social platform is operated for the LGBT community. Planet Out has raised $34.6 million across 4 funding rounds from investors including Creative Artists Agency, J P Morgan and WarnerMedia. The company was acqui-hired. Planet Out offers products and services including Here.TV Video App. Its focus areas include Consumer, Social Platforms and LGBT. Its legal entity is PlanetOut, Inc. Its competitors include Lex, Growlr and Queer Spaces; 1 of its 3 listed competitors has raised funding.
Company details
Planet Out was founded in 1995 in Los Angeles, United States, as an online social platform targeted at the LGBT community. Digital networking services are provided, enabling user connections, content sharing, and community support within the social media sector. Operations center on web-based interactions, with a focus on inclusive features for this demographic, primarily serving users across the United States.
- Headquarters Los Angeles, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website planetout.com
- Social X Facebook
- Acquired by Here Media (Jan 2009)
- Legal Name Planetout, Inc
- Total Equity Funding$34.6M (USD)
in 4 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$26.2M (USD), Post-IPO
Jul 2007
- InvestorsCreative Artists Agency
& 8 more
- Acquired byHere Media
(Jan 2009)
Products & Services of Planet Out
Planet Out offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Here.TV Video App.
App for streaming LGBTQ+ movies and series online
Funding Insights of Planet Out
Planet Out has successfully raised a total of $34.6M across 4 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Post-IPO round of $26.2 million completed in July 2007. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $34.6M
- Total Rounds 4
- Last Round Post-IPO — $26.2M
- First Round $10M
(Sep 2000)
- Investors Count 8
All 4 funding rounds of Planet Out with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2007 | $26.2M | Post-IPO | – | – | |
| Jan 2002 | $16.4M | Series D | – | – | |
| May 2001 | $8.2M | Series D | – | – | |
| Sep 2000 | $10M | Series C | – | – |
9 investors in total: 9 institutional.
Investors in Planet Out
Planet Out has secured backing from 9 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Creative Artists Agency, J P Morgan and WarnerMedia.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PE firm investing in the US | sfcapgroup.com | New York, United States | ||
Mayfield is focused on AI innovation and venture capital investments. | mayfield.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Investments are focused by Edventure Holdings on US tech startups. | edventure.com | New York, United States | ||
Wealth management firm | 1932 | alleninvestments.com | Lakeland, United States | |
| flatironpartnersllc.com | ||||
A portfolio of media networks and sports channels is managed. | 1990 | warnermedia.com | New York, United States | |
Comprehensive financial services are provided to corporations and individuals. | 1799 | jpmorgan.com | New York, United States | |
Creative Artists Agency is engaged in talent representation and brand management. | 1975 | caa.com | Los Angeles, United States | |
Digital media company providing LGBT video streaming and community platforms. | 2009 | heremedia.com | Los Angeles, United States |
Investor details for Planet Out
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Planet Out
4 dated milestones of Planet Out across 14 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Planet Out is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $10.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Post-IPO, of $26.2M.
- Exit Acquired by Here Media.
Competitors of Planet Out
Planet Out has 3 listed competitors in our database, 1 of them funded. They include Lex, Growlr and Queer Spaces.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lex.lgbt | 2019 | New York, United States | $7.1M | LGBT community interactions are facilitated through a social platform. | ||
| growlrapp.com | 2010 | Philadelphia, United States | 242 | Nearby gay individuals are connected through a social networking platform. | ||
| queerspaces.com | 2022 | Los Angeles, United States | 1 | Connections are enabled among queer community members via social platform. |
Detailed competitors of Planet Out
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Planet Out
Websites that share an audience with Planet Out (planetout.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Planet Out. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gay.com | gay.com | 100% | – | ||
gaylife.about.com | gaylife.about.com | 85% | – | ||
| glaad.org | 83% | #169,571 | View details | ||
advocate.com | advocate.com | 81% | #34,414 | – | |
hrc.org | hrc.org | 79% | #78,749 | – | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 13 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Planet Out
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 13 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Social Platforms
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Planet Out (Social Platforms) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online social networking and communication services are provided globally. | 2004 | Menlo Park, California, United States | USD 1.77 B | 23,339 | ||
ESports social video streaming platform | 2006 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 35.12 M | |||
Subscription-based platform for publishers' content management is provided. | 2017 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 189.5 M | USD 1.45 M | 4,285 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Planet Out
Planet Out was founded in 1995 and raised its 1st funding round 5 years after it was founded.
Planet Out is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States. It is registered at Los Angeles, California, United States.
Planet Out is a funded company, having raised a total of $34.6M across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series C of $10M, raised on Sep 2000.
Planet Out was founded in 1995 in Los Angeles, United States, as an online social platform targeted at the LGBT community. Digital networking services are provided, enabling user connections, content sharing, and community support within the social media sector. Operations center on web-based interactions, with a focus on inclusive features for this demographic, primarily serving users across the United States.
Planet Out's top competitors include Lex, Growlr and Queer Spaces.
Planet Out offers Here.TV Video App.
Planet Out has 9 investors. Key investors include Creative Artists Agency, J P Morgan, WarnerMedia, Allen & Company, and SF Capital Group.
Planet Out operates through Planetout, Inc.
Yes. Planet Out was acquired by Here Media in January 2009.