You’ve probably heard of Bumble, one of the largest dating apps in the world with over 10 million + users. But do you know the person behind it?
Well! This is Whitney Wolfe Herd. She is an American businesswoman and founder and CEO of Bumble.
Additionally, Wolfe Herd was previously vice president of the popular dating platform Tinder. It was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017 and 2018, and was included on the Time 100 list in 2018.
Aside from these, Wolfe Herd has the title of becoming the world’s first self-made youngest billionaire.
Let’s read this great lady’s journey and discover some top-notch lessons from her biography.
It has to do with perspective and how you look at something… Ultimately, you have to walk away» – Wolfe Herd
Whitney Wolfe Herd – Nationality
Whitney Wolfe Herd was born in July 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, and grew up there to her Jewish father Michael Wolfe, who was a wealthy real estate developer, and her Catholic mother Kelly Wolfe.
He enrolled in Judge Memorial Catholic High School for his elementary education. During his fourth grade, his family moved to Paris, France.
There he attended Southern Methodist University, where he specialized in international studies. At the University, he was also a member of the brotherhood Kappa Kappa Gamma.
During his college days, he started a business selling bamboo bags to benefit areas affected by the BP oil spill.
The non-profit organization called «Help Us Project» was founded by Wolfe Herd and celebrity stylist Patrick Aufdenkamp.
After celebrities like Rachel Zoe and Nicole Richie were photographed with them, the bags received considerable attention.
She then launched a second business with Aufdenkamp, under the name «Tender Heart», which produced garments aimed at raising awareness about human trafficking and fair trade.
After graduating, Wolfe Herd spent his summer months working at an orphanage in Southeast Asia.
Whitney Wolfe Herd – Early career
In 2012, at the age of 22, Wolfe Herd joined Cardify, a Hatch Labs IAC incubator project led by Sean Rad.
The project was eventually discontinued, but Wolfe Herd became part of the Tinder development team with Rad and Chris Gulczynski.
Shortly after, Tinder appointed Wolfe Herd as vice president of marketing.
He was credited with creating the name of the app, which he was inspired by in terms of the flame logo and the concept of tinder, which is a flammable material that can cause a fire.
Wolfe Herd resigned from Tinder in April 2014 due to growing tensions with other company executives.
On June 30, she filed a lawsuit against Tinder alleging that she had suffered sexual harassment and discrimination.
He reportedly received more than US$1 million, as well as shares, as part of a deal in September 2014.
Wolfe Herd created Merci, a women-only social media service focused on thank you notes, in response to hate on the Internet.
She’s not interested in the dating business yet, but is now working with Badoo founder Andrey Andreev to team up and develop a new dating app for women.
He intended to call the software Moxie, but they had taken him away.
Bumble launch
In December 2014, Wolfe Herd moved to Austin, Texas, and launched Bumble, a dating service for women. The app had over 15 million discussions and 80 million matches in the next 12 months.
After Bumble hit the market, Andrey Andreev, the founder of Badoo, approached her after Wolfe Herd left Tinder, and she teamed up with him.
The business remains controlled by Badoo, which acquired a majority stake in it.
Bumble, which started as a dating app in 2015, has over 22 million registered users as of November 2017.
In January 2018, CNBC reported that Badoo was looking for a potential sale that could value the business at around $ 1.5 billion.
In 2014, Business Insider listed Wolfe Herd as one of the top 30 women under 30 in technology. In 2016, she was named to Elle’s Women in Technology list.
She was included in Forbes’ lists of 30 under-30s in 2017 and 2018.
Wolfe Herd spoke before the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee in March 2019 about the large number of unsolicited explicit photographs sent to users on dating sites.
Bumble was acquired by Blackstone Group’s MagicLab subsidiary in November 2019, and co-founder Andreev sold his entire stake in both companies.
Wolfe Herd became CEO of MagicLab, Google’s most recent acquisition that was valued at $ 3 billion and had an estimated 75 million active users, taking home a 19% stake in the property.
In 2020, Bumble acquired MagicLab, a company that owns both Badoo and Bumble. As of 2020, worldwide, Bumble has more than 100 million members.
After raising $2.2 billion in an initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange in February 2021, Bumble’s valuation surpassed $13 billion in February 2021.
In April 2021, it reached the $16.<> million mark. After Bumble became public, Wolfe Herd became the world’s youngest billionaire.
Whitney Wolfe Herd Net Worth
Whitney Wolfe Herd estimated net worth at $750 million in March 2022, when her company’s shares were hovering around $29.
Whitney Wolfe is therefore no longer a billionaire after her company’s shares have plummeted more than 50% since its Nasdaq listing.
Otherwise, as of February 11, 2021, Whitney Wolfe’s estimated net worth was $ 1.5 billion. With the increase in the covid-19 pandemic, it lost more than half a billion amounts.
However, now, in March 2022, the company’s shares are in a downtrend and it could be difficult to recover them.
Well! It all depends on the subsequent planning of the promoters and the main stakeholders.
Whitney Wolfe has made her great fortune with Bumble, although she has worked on many other projects.
In addition to this, she has several secondary sources of income that constantly help her earn more money.
Personal life of Whitney Wolfe Herd
Whitney Wolfe has been married to her amazing husband Michael Herd. The couple met on a ski trip to Aspen in 2013, although Wolfe had first seen it on a dating app.
She told The Telegraph: «He has the kind of face you remember».
They married in 2017 in an elegant three-day ceremony on the Italian coast of Amalfi. Additionally, they stayed at the Four Season resorts in Bora Bora on Maui for their honeymoon.
Her husband, Michael, is now the president of the oil and gas field operator founded by his late grandfather, Herd Producing Company.
Whitney and Michael have been blessed with a son in December 2019, who has been named Bobby. In general, the family lives a pleasant life.
An additional look
Whitney Wolfe Herd has demonstrated the strength of women’s ability. In fact, she remains in first position, becoming the first self-made female billionaire in the world. It’s not over yet.
Whitney is working to recover as soon as possible.
The sad thing is that his company was listed on the Nasdaq during the Covid-19 pandemic and that is why it was difficult to stay on top longer.
And yet, we are in 2022, covid-19 is not completely under control. Therefore, the fighting period will still be underway.
Power lunch is no longer just for men. We all deserve a seat at the table – Wolfe Herd
Let’s take a deeper look at how the company performs in the coming quarters. Until then, enjoy being inspired by her and her successful career.
