# Queer Spaces, Inc.

Building the Queer Discord

## Elevator pitch
Spaces is a group chat platform for building queer communities, and the first app to serve the entirety of the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/queerspacesinc
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:119624
- Last updated: 2026-06-09T05:00:42Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-09T13:45:26Z

## Quick facts
- The first queer app to span the entire spectrum of over 400 million LGBTQ+ people
- Creating a digital safe space for queer people, 66% of whom have experienced online discrimination
- Successful MVP launch on March 1
- Growing 80-400% per month
- Featured as "App of the Day" by Apple on June 26 (Pride Sunday)
- Advice and investment by Sean Rad, Founder of Tinder, and other high-profile individuals
- Team has already successfully built Hornet, a top queer social network with 2.5 million MAU globally
- Here, queer people are celebrated for who they are, connecting in group chats over shared interests

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:66885: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:66884: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## FAQ
1. **When I look at Hornet reviews on the App Store, spam and scams seem to be prevalent for users. What makes Spaces different? Can you prove that the growth is truly organic?**
   - Trent, great question. As we know, scam and spam attacks are abound on all platforms and at Hornet we go to great length to validate legit users through a “proof of work” model with the Hornet Badge, in addition to many layers of machine learning, community and staff human moderation. On SPACES, we have so far seen only 1-2 serious attempts and were able to stop them immediately, given all the defenses we have developed over the last 11 years at Hornet. In addition, SPACES doesn’t have the in...
2. **Hi there! Is it possible for non-US persons to invest?**
   - Thanks for your note Sajid! Absolutely, please see WeFunder's international investor instructions here: https://help.wefunder.com/154992-linked/international-investor-guide Cheers! -Christof
3. **Hi Christof, can you share any data that would show the need for safe spaces for queer people?**
   - Hi Botros, great question. With respect to digital platforms, the best data is from the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, which publishes the Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) since 2021 (https://sites.google.com/glaad.org/smsi/platform-scores). The verdict is clear for the "big 5" heteronormative social networks FB, IG, Twitter, YT and TikTok: - 66% of queer Americans have been subject to online harassment there (up 2 pp from 2021, and more than any other polled minority) - none of the 5 platform s...
4. **Can you share insight into revenue or monetization?**
   - Hi Adam, we haven't yet decided on the exact path to monetization, but we know how to generate revenues through user-to-user revenue, premium subscriptions, or advertising from our background at Hornet. We also know what revenue per user (ARPU) we can roughly expect. At this point we're holding off on monetization until at least 30K DAU, to fuel growth and focus on virality. Ideally we can procrastinate monetization even further, dependent on funding, but that remains to be seen in the next 6...
5. **Never done this kind of "INVESTMENT" before. Where can I get a "simple" explanation of how this works? This is or does not appear to be a stock purchase but could be converted to on, is that correct? Help me out here!**
   - Hi Steven -- correct. The SAFE is a loan note which converts into a future equity issuance. This investment form has been pioneered by Y-Combinator and used by 1,000s of startups since 2013. It has worked really well to combine the capital needs of early stage companies with the needs of investors, to have a fair valuation but also to benefit from their early move. More about SAFE's here: https://www.ycombinator.com/documents

## Team
- Christof Wittig (CEO and Founder)
- Jeanne Fourie (Product)
- Stephan Horbelt (Talent)
- Daniel Addice (Marketing)
- Shon Washington (Talent)
- Fatima Rouina (Talent)
- Tori Lima (Content)
- Louis Dresse (Growth)
- Abby Nurock (Talent)
- Matt Hirst (Engineering)
- Harry Burc (Web)
- Pavol Kmet (Development)
- Fiona Suherman (Design)
- Andrii Mazurenko (Product)

## Recent posts
- Check your Inbox for Investor Updates (2023-05-31T20:32:09Z)
- Investor Update Q4/2022 (2023-01-26T02:53:22Z)
- And... Closed! $1M Raised in First Money for Queer Spaces (2022-11-09T17:01:41Z)
- Updated Pitch Deck - Updated Metrics (2022-10-07T01:27:29Z)
- SPACES Just Got Smarter: Version 1.13 Launches Smart Notifications (2022-10-04T22:27:10Z)
- Join Us for an Investor Webinar on Sep 29 (2022-09-26T23:37:05Z)
- What Users Say About the Need for Safe Queer SPACES Online (2022-09-14T18:03:13Z)
- We’ve raised more than 82% of our target to date! And your swag is coming! (2022-09-03T15:18:12Z)
- Forbes: "Finally, A Social Media Platform That Cares About LGBTQ Safety: The Spaces App Is Worth ‘Following’" (2022-08-24T20:44:41Z)
- 25% Jump in Number of Investors (2022-08-23T19:30:57Z)
- Already over 70% raised, in just 5 days! (2022-08-16T22:35:46Z)
- SPACES Takes ‘Community Owned’ to the Next Level With Today’s Launch of a Crowdfunding Campaign (2022-08-11T14:57:32Z)

## Q&A
- Q: Can you share insight into revenue or monetization?
  - A: Hi Adam, we haven't yet decided on the exact path to monetization, but we know how to generate revenues through user-to-user revenue, premium subscriptions, or advertising from our background at Hornet. We also know what revenue per user (ARPU) we can roughly expect. At this point we're holding off on monetization until at least 30K DAU, to fuel growth and focus on virality. Ideally we can procrastinate monetization even further, dependent on funding, but that remains to be seen in the next 6-9 months.
- Q: Hi Christof, can you share any data that would show the need for safe spaces for queer people?
  - A: Hi Botros, great question. With respect to digital platforms, the best data is from the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, which publishes the Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) since 2021 (https://sites.google.com/glaad.org/smsi/platform-scores). The verdict is clear for the "big 5" heteronormative social networks FB, IG, Twitter, YT and TikTok: - 66% of queer Americans have been subject to online harassment there (up 2 pp from 2021, and more than any other polled minority) - none of the 5 platform scored even a moderate 50% of the safety benchmark they have established I don't think it gets more clear than that, does it?
- Q: Hi there! Is it possible for non-US persons to invest?
  - A: Thanks for your note Sajid! Absolutely, please see WeFunder's international investor instructions here: https://help.wefunder.com/154992-linked/international-investor-guide Cheers! -Christof
- Q: I can't determine the maximum raise amount for this round, as I have seen 2 different values. What is the actual max?
  - A: Great question, and a valid observation. Under SEC Reg CF rules we will raise no more than $1 million in this crowdfunding. We're able to raise additional funds from accredited investors (Reg D) in addition to this amount, at the same terms, but won't raise more than $2 million in total.
- Q: Never done this kind of "INVESTMENT" before. Where can I get a "simple" explanation of how this works? This is or does not appear to be a stock purchase but could be converted to on, is that correct? Help me out here!
  - A: Hi Steven -- correct. The SAFE is a loan note which converts into a future equity issuance. This investment form has been pioneered by Y-Combinator and used by 1,000s of startups since 2013. It has worked really well to combine the capital needs of early stage companies with the needs of investors, to have a fair valuation but also to benefit from their early move. More about SAFE's here: https://www.ycombinator.com/documents
- Q: When I look at Hornet reviews on the App Store, spam and scams seem to be prevalent for users. What makes Spaces different? Can you prove that the growth is truly organic?
  - A: Trent, great question. As we know, scam and spam attacks are abound on all platforms and at Hornet we go to great length to validate legit users through a “proof of work” model with the Hornet Badge, in addition to many layers of machine learning, community and staff human moderation. On SPACES, we have so far seen only 1-2 serious attempts and were able to stop them immediately, given all the defenses we have developed over the last 11 years at Hornet. In addition, SPACES doesn’t have the international footprint (it’s 85% US users), so there is less awareness in the classic spam geos (Nigeria, Russia, China) so far. Over time we will need to level up the defenses at SPACES further. One protection will be to geofence group chats, which is what’s been actively developed. But so far we are looking at healthy, good and genuine user growth at SPACES. Christof