PALO ALTO, Calif. - Tech blog TechCrunch reported Saturday that Various Inc.'s AdultFriendFinder may have been acquired, but those inside Various say nothing has happened.
"There is no deal, currently," Lars Mapstead, co-owner and vice president of marketing for AdultFriendFinder, told AVN Online.
TechCrunch reported that the company may have been purchased for $1 billion, later reducing that figure to $500 million.
"They are just rumors," Various founder Andrew Conru told AVN Online. "Over the last couple of years, we have been talking with a number of possible investors, as well as investigating a possible public offering - lots of interesting things.
TechCrunch reported that Penthouse Media Group, which acquired Danni.com and its associated properties for $3 million in late 2006, may have been the buyer. A telephone call seeking comment from Penthouse's public-relations department was not returned.
