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The dating game has been revolutionized by a variety of online apps. Match group, which owns the likes of Hinge and Tinder, has captured the market, but Bumble is the one that is getting all the buzz. Bumble, which was founded back in 2014, is the dating app that puts women in control by allowing them to make the first move. With over 12 million monthly users, the company raised over $2 billion in its initial public offering, valuing the company at over $7 billion. Who is the mastermind behind the success story? 31-year-old Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Whitney has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. Her time at Southern Methodist University sparked her drive. She started a business selling bamboo tote bags to benefit areas affected by the BP Oil Spill. From there she was engulfed in incubators, which led to her joining the development team of Tinder. Tale has it, that she was behind the name of Tinder, taking inspiration from the flame logo and the idea of tinder, the material used to start a fire. She left the company over growing tensions and sexual harassment from company executives, the unfortunate evil in the business world.
What caught fire from this past endeavor was her drive to change the dating industry and the opportunity to make history, which led her to create Bumble. Over the past seven years, the dating app has grown in popularity. She capitalized on an opportunity and builts a multibillion-dollar company against obstacles and odds. Whitney Wolfe Herd is the youngest female founder to take a U.S. company public. She also became the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire, as her nearly 12% stake in the company was worth $1.6 billion.
Her story and success are inspiring to young women around the country, and the world. In a male-dominant role, she proves that the narrative needs to be rewritten. Bumble ($BMBL) was valued as high as $8.7 billion on Friday, right after the stock surged over 63%. Shares are currently trading on the higher side of the $70 mark.
Photo: Google Finance