Whitney Wolfe Herd is an American entrepreneur and the founder of Bumble, a dating app that empowers women to make the first move. She is also one of the youngest self-made female billionaires in the world. According to Forbes, her net worth in 2023 is estimated at $600 million.
Early Life and Education
Whitney Wolfe Herd was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a conservative Mormon family. She attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School and then Southern Methodist University, where she majored in International Studies. She also spent some time in Southeast Asia, working with orphanages and helping victims of human trafficking.
Career Beginnings
Whitney Wolfe Herd started her career in the tech industry as an employee of Tinder, a popular dating app. She was one of the co-founders and the vice president of marketing, responsible for creating the app’s name and logo. However, she left the company in 2014 after filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend and former boss, Justin Mateen.
Later that year, she teamed up with Andrey Andreev, the founder of Badoo, a European dating platform, to launch Bumble, a new dating app that aimed to create a safe and respectful environment for women. Bumble’s unique feature was that only women could initiate conversations with men, giving them more control and confidence in online dating.
Success and Wealth
Bumble quickly became one of the most popular and successful dating apps in the world, with over 100 million users in 2023. The app also expanded its offerings to include Bumble BFF, a feature for finding platonic friends, and Bumble Bizz, a feature for networking and career opportunities. In February 2021, Bumble went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange, making Whitney Wolfe Herd the youngest female CEO to ever take a company public.
In November 2023, Whitney Wolfe Herd announced that she was stepping down as the CEO of Bumble, saying that she wanted to focus on her personal life and other projects. She remained the chairwoman of the board and the largest shareholder of the company, with a stake worth about $600 million. She was succeeded by Lidiane Jones, the former chief product officer of Bumble, who became the new CEO.
Personal Life
Whitney Wolfe Herd is not only a successful entrepreneur, but also a socially and politically active person. She has supported various causes, such as women’s empowerment, gun control, and animal welfare. She has also been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression, and how she copes with them.
Whitney Wolfe Herd is married to Michael Herd, an oil heir and restaurateur, whom she met on a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado, in 2013. They got engaged in 2016 and had a lavish wedding in Positano, Italy, in 2017. They have two children, a son named Bobby, born in 2019, and a daughter named Frances, born in 2021.
Conclusion
Whitney Wolfe Herd is one of the most influential and inspiring women in the world, who has revolutionized the online dating industry and created a billion-dollar company. She is also a philanthropist, a feminist, and a mother, who balances her professional and personal life with grace and courage. She is a role model for many young women who aspire to achieve their dreams and make a positive impact on the world.
