Who owns Candy AI in 2026? EverAI, its co-founders and what the filings show
Candy AI draws tens of millions of visits a month, yet its own website never names the people behind it. Here is what its legal pages, trademark record, UK filings and press reports actually show.
Who owns Candy AI? Candy AI is owned and operated by EverAI Limited, a private company registered in Malta. Alexis Soulopoulos is CEO, and the company names Michael Monin and Thomas Lacroix as co-founders. Funding databases also list seed investors, but no Maltese shareholder list is freely public, so exact stakes remain unknown.
The site itself will not tell you most of that. Candy AI's pages name a company and an address, not a single person, so the rest has to be pieced together from a trademark record, UK filings, job ads, funding databases and reporting. This guide does that and marks what is confirmed, what is inferred and what nobody outside the company can know. Sources were checked on November 5 and 6, 2026.
Who owns Candy AI right now?
Candy AI's terms of service, revised September 22, 2026, say the service is owned and operated by EverAI Limited, incorporated in the Republic of Malta and registered with the Malta Business Registry under number C107181. The address is 56 Central Business Centre, Triq Is-Soll, Santa Venera. Its privacy notice, revised October 19, 2026, names the same company as data controller.
The brand is tied to that company as well. A US trademark record for CANDY.AI shows a filing date of September 13, 2023, by an individual applicant in France, a transfer to EverAI Limited of Malta before publication, and registration on April 15, 2025.
Who owns EverAI is the harder question. Here is how the public record breaks down:
| Party | What is public | Ownership? |
|---|---|---|
| EverAI Limited (Malta, C107181) | Owner and operator in Candy AI's terms; owner of the US trademark | Yes, the company that holds the business |
| EverAI Holding Ltd. (Malta, C 107071) | Same address, per North Data | Likely parent, based on its name and a registry mention; not confirmed |
| Michael Monin and Thomas Lacroix | Listed as co-founders in EverAI job ads; shareholders of the dissolved UK EverAI; linked as directors of the Malta companies by North Data | Stakes in the Malta company not public |
| Alexis Soulopoulos | CEO, per job ads, Bellingcat and Capital Brief | Any equity is not public |
| Outside investors | Caplight and CB Insights list seed investors; no company announcement found | Stakes not public |
We found no report of a sale, merger or change of control. As far as the public record goes, the private group that launched Candy AI still runs it, now with seed investors listed by funding databases.
Who founded Candy AI?
The answer most pages give is Alexis Soulopoulos, and that is only partly supported. Bellingcat identified him as chief executive of EverAI in January 2025, citing his LinkedIn profile and the firm's job postings.
EverAI's own job ads draw a finer line. An October 2026 posting lists its founding team this way:
- Alexis Soulopoulos: CEO
- Michael Monin: co-founder and CTO, with MTK Digital and Zipchat listed as earlier ventures
- Thomas Lacroix: co-founder and CMO, with Curatible and MTK Digital listed as earlier ventures
So the co-founder label goes to Monin and Lacroix in the company's own wording. Soulopoulos sits in the founding team as CEO, but the posting does not call him a co-founder of EverAI. Anyone who writes that he founded and owns Candy AI is going beyond the record.
What do company filings show about EverAI's shareholders?
This needs care, because three similarly named companies appear in the registers.
The dissolved UK company called EverAI Limited
Companies House shows EVERAI LIMITED, number 15056872, incorporated in London on August 8, 2023 and dissolved on October 7, 2025. Its persons with significant control are Michael Monin and Thomas Lacroix, each recorded with more than 25% and up to 50% of shares and voting rights from the first day.
The filing never mentions Candy AI, and Companies House does not verify what is filed. The link is an inference: same company name, same two names EverAI lists as co-founders, and the same few weeks in 2023 as the CANDY.AI trademark filing. We think that link is strong, but it describes a UK company that no longer exists, not the shareholders of the Malta company today.
The Malta companies
North Data lists EverAI Ltd. at C 107181 and EverAI Holding Ltd. at C 107071, both at the Santa Venera address. The name suggests a parent and an operating company, a common setup, and the Holding page lists a May 10, 2024 registry mention titled "Shareholding: EverAI Ltd." North Data's free network view also links Monin and Lacroix to both companies with a director label. Its legend marks those links as previous, its list of current representatives is paywalled, and it warns that its automated data may contain errors. None of this shows who holds shares at the top.
The definitive source would be filings at the Malta Business Registry, which we did not purchase for this article. Its beneficial owner register is not an easy shortcut, since BDO Malta says access is limited to people who can show a legitimate interest tied to preventing money laundering or terrorist financing.
The UK company that looks related but is not shown to be
CANDY AI LIMITED, number 14926471, was an Isle of Wight company classed as an advertising agency, incorporated June 9, 2023 and dissolved March 10, 2026. None of the people named above appear in its officer or control records, and nothing we read links it to EverAI.
Is Candy AI a Malta company or an Australian company?
Legally it is Maltese. In practice its leadership is spread out. Capital Brief reported on October 12, 2026 that Soulopoulos is based in Sydney and leads Malta-based EverAI remotely, which is why the company keeps appearing in Australian tech coverage.
Where a CEO lives does not decide where a company is incorporated or who owns it. For an operator, the entity that matters is the one in the terms, because it signs contracts, holds the trademark and answers to regulators.
Has Candy AI raised venture capital?
Funding databases say yes, but we found no announcement from EverAI or its listed investors, and the sources do not fully agree.
| Source | What it says | How much weight to give it |
|---|---|---|
| Caplight | Seed round dated May 1, 2026; $8 million total raised; Maiora Ventures, TK & Partners, 1MX AI and Primal Capital | Most detailed listing, though the round's own amount is locked |
| CB Insights (EverAI) | Seed VC stage; TK & Partners, 1MX.ai and Primal Capital | Shows the same street address as Candy AI's terms; no amount shown |
| Tracxn | TK & Partners on its EverAI profile; Maiora Ventures on its Candy.ai profile | Partial, with details locked |
| CB Insights (Candy.ai) | Maiora Ventures, a16z Bio Health and the a16z Talent x Opportunity Initiative | The a16z names appear nowhere else we checked |
| Prospeo | EverAI has never raised funding | Contradicted by the listings above |
| Plisio review | Says the company claims to be bootstrapped with no venture capital | Secondhand, with no company statement linked |
A bio-health fund would be an unusual backer for an adult platform, so the a16z entries may be a mix-up with another company, though we cannot prove that. The fair summary is that Candy AI appears to have taken outside seed money. Caplight's $8 million is the only total we could read, and founder and investor stakes stay private.
How big is Candy AI, and how much does it make?
EverAI does not publish results, so these are company claims or third-party estimates.
- Traffic: Capital Brief puts Candy AI at roughly 45 million to 50 million visits a month.
- Users: EverAI's job ads claim 50 million users in two years. That is a marketing total, not active or paying users.
- Team: the same October 2026 posting says about 100 people. GetLatka shows 40 as of July 2025, and Prospeo shows 32.
- Revenue: GetLatka estimates about $4.4 million a year and Prospeo about $4.28 million. Plisio reports a company claim of roughly $25 million.
- Pricing: Candy AI's plans page shows $3.99 a month on the 12-month plan, $8.99 on the 3-month plan and $13.99 month to month after a $9.99 first month. Our Candy AI pricing breakdown covers tokens too.
A quick calculation shows why traffic alone cannot settle the revenue argument. Ignoring token sales, this is how many subscribers each estimate would need:
| Annual revenue | Subscribers at $13.99 a month | Subscribers at $3.99 a month |
|---|---|---|
| $4.4 million | About 26,000 | About 92,000 |
| $25 million | About 149,000 | About 522,000 |
All of those counts are small next to 45 million monthly visits, so either estimate is arithmetically possible. Our guide to how Candy AI makes money goes through the competing numbers and the funnel behind them.
Why do sources disagree about who owns Candy AI?
These are the conflicts we hit and what we would trust.
| Question | What you will see | Best answer |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the legal owner? | EverAI, sometimes with a UK "Candy AI Limited" added | EverAI Limited, Malta, per Candy AI's own terms |
| Who founded it? | Often Soulopoulos alone | EverAI's ads call Monin and Lacroix co-founders and Soulopoulos CEO |
| Is it venture-backed? | "Bootstrapped" and a list of investors | Funding databases list a seed round; the company has not announced one that we found |
The rule from our guides to who owns Replika and who owns Character.AI holds here as well: read the legal page first, then registers, then dated reporting.
What legal and brand trouble has Candy AI's owner faced?
The public record here is about advertising. Bellingcat found Candy AI promoted on MrDeepFakes, a site known for non-consensual deepfake pornography, in January 2025. An EverAI spokesman told Bellingcat the placement came through its affiliate program, that the company cut ties with the publisher, and that it does not condone or promote the creation of deepfakes. Links were removed after Bellingcat's questions.
Two advertising bodies have since ruled against Candy AI ads. France's Jury de Déontologie Publicitaire published a decision on April 21, 2026 upholding a complaint about a video that set AI-generated women against real women, and it records that Ever AI submitted no response. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint on August 12, 2026 about a Facebook ad using the words "control her." EverAI said the phrase meant customizing a character. The ASA found the ad objectified women and included a harmful gender stereotype, and said it must not appear again in that form.
Neither ruling mentions a fine, and we found no public record of a regulatory fine or a lawsuit naming EverAI, though that only means none surfaced in our searches. Replika's owner was fined 5 million euros in Italy, so an EU-registered operator should not assume this stays quiet. RoboRhythms also notes that card charges appear under the EverAI name.
Candy AI vs Replika vs Character.AI: who owns what?
| Candy AI | Replika | Character.AI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal owner | EverAI Limited (Malta) | Luka, Inc. (Delaware) | Character Technologies, Inc. |
| Disclosed capital | No announcement; Caplight lists $8 million | About $11 million | $150 million Series A at a $1 billion valuation |
| Revenue model | Subscriptions and tokens | Subscriptions and gems | Ads and a c.ai+ subscription |
| Status | Operating, private | Operating, new CEO since 2025 | In Chapter 11, assets for sale |
What can AI companion operators and affiliates learn from this?
1. Put the brand inside the company early
The CANDY.AI filing came in September 2023, moved into the Malta company before publication, and took about 19 months to reach registration. If you are launching a brand, file early and make sure the company ends up holding it, not one person.
2. Publish your legal entity, even if you publish nothing else
Candy AI names no executives on its site, yet its footer and terms clearly state a company, number and address. That is the minimum that payment partners, regulators and serious affiliates will look for. Our adult AI content rules guide covers what platforms require beyond that.
3. Treat every ad and affiliate placement as your own
A single affiliate's placement put Candy AI in a major investigation, and both 2026 rulings turned on ad copy that sold a compliant woman as the feature. Review creative before it runs, keep a placement policy, audit where partners run your ads and cut off violators quickly. If you are the affiliate, read who you are contracting with, and remember that your own sites carry the same risk.
4. Do not build a plan on anyone's revenue rumor
With estimates more than five times apart, Candy AI cannot serve as a benchmark. Model your own numbers from traffic, conversion and retention instead. Our AI companion site earnings guide is a starting point.
Should you build a site like Candy AI or partner on one?
Candy AI shows the size of the prize and the amount of machinery behind it: a proprietary platform, a growing team, a European legal structure and a large affiliate operation. Building your own gives you the most control and the full burden, and our guide to building an app like Candy AI walks through what that takes.
The other route is a done-for-you site. WhiteLabelFans builds, hosts and runs a branded AI companion site, handles payments and compliance, and pays a revenue share of up to 60% of total site revenue. Our white-label AI companion platform overview sets out what you own and what you do not.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the CEO of Candy AI?
Alexis Soulopoulos is the CEO of EverAI, the company behind Candy AI. Bellingcat identified him from his LinkedIn profile and company job postings in January 2025, Capital Brief described him as leading EverAI from Sydney in October 2026, and EverAI's job ads list him as CEO. He previously co-founded the Australian pet-sitting company Mad Paws.
Who are the founders of Candy AI?
EverAI's job ads name Michael Monin, its CTO, and Thomas Lacroix, its CMO, as co-founders, and list Alexis Soulopoulos as CEO in the same founding team. Candy AI's website names none of them. A dissolved UK company called EverAI Limited recorded Monin and Lacroix as its significant shareholders from August 2023.
Is Candy AI owned by a big tech company?
No public record shows that. Candy AI's terms name EverAI Limited, a private company registered in Malta, as owner and operator, and the US trademark sits with the same company. We found no report of an acquisition by a large technology firm as of November 6, 2026. The investors that funding databases list are venture firms, and EverAI has not announced them.
Can you buy Candy AI or EverAI stock?
Not on a public exchange, as far as we can find. EverAI Limited is a private company and we found no stock listing. Shares in private companies generally change hands only through private deals. The ASX-listed company sometimes mentioned alongside it, Mad Paws, is the CEO's former pet-sitting business, not an investment in Candy AI.
What is the difference between EverAI and Candy AI Limited?
EverAI Limited of Malta is the company Candy AI's terms name as its owner and operator. Candy AI Limited was a separate UK company on the Isle of Wight, classed as an advertising agency and dissolved in March 2026. Its records name none of EverAI's listed leaders, and we found nothing connecting the two beyond the similar name.
How much is Candy AI worth?
Nobody outside the company can say. EverAI has not published a valuation, revenue or profit figure. Caplight lists a May 2026 seed round but locks its amount and valuation behind a sales demo, and revenue estimates range from about $4.4 million to a claimed $25 million a year. Any figure you see online is a guess.
Sources
- Candy AI: Terms of service (EverAI Limited)
- Candy AI: Privacy notice
- Candy AI: Subscription plans
- Bellingcat: Deepfake porn site's link to tech companies
- Capital Brief: The $800,000 jobs fuelling Sydney's hidden X-rated AI boom
- EverAI job posting with its team list (Content Creators, October 2026)
- Companies House: EVERAI LIMITED (15056872) overview
- Companies House: EVERAI LIMITED persons with significant control
- Companies House: CANDY AI LIMITED (14926471) overview
- North Data: EverAI Ltd., Santa Venera (C 107181)
- North Data: EverAI Holding Ltd., Santa Venera (C 107071)
- Malta Business Registry
- BDO Malta: Register of beneficial ownership of companies
- USPTO record for CANDY.AI, serial 79384660, via TrademarkRegistration.app
- GetLatka: EverAI revenue estimate
- Prospeo: EverAI revenue and funding data
- CB Insights: Candy.ai financials
- Plisio: Candy AI review
- RoboRhythms: Is Candy AI safe and legit
- ASA ruling on EverAI Ltd (August 12, 2026)
- Jury de Déontologie Publicitaire: EVER AI, Internet, complaint upheld (April 21, 2026)
- Caplight: EverAI valuation and funding history
- CB Insights: EverAI company profile
- Tracxn: EverAI funding and investors
- Tracxn: Candy.ai company profile
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