Whitney Wolfe Herd

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Whitney Wolfe Herd
Herd in 2018
Born
Whitney Wolfe

(1989-07-01) July 1, 1989 (age 36)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
EducationSouthern Methodist University (BA)
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • business executive
Known for
Spouse
Michael Herd
​
(m. 2017)​
Children2
Herd in 2016

Whitney Wolfe Herd (born July 1, 1989)[1] is an American entrepreneur most notable as the founder, executive chair, and CEO of Bumble, one of the most popular online dating platforms.[2] She is a co-founder of Tinder and was previously its Vice President of Marketing.[3][4]

Wolfe Herd owns approximately 23 million shares of Bumble Inc.[5]

Early life and education

[edit]

Wolfe Herd was born as Whitney Wolfe in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Kelly Wolfe and Michael Wolfe.[6][7] Her father is Jewish and her mother is Catholic.[8]

Wolfe attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School.[9] For college, she attended Southern Methodist University, where she majored in international studies and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.[10][11]

While in college and at the age of 20, she partnered with celebrity stylist Patrick Aufdenkamp to launch the non-profit organization called "Help Us Project" to sell bamboo tote bags to benefit areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The bags received national press after celebrities, such as Rachel Zoe and Nicole Richie, were photographed with them.[12][13] Soon after, she introduced a second business with Aufdenkamp called "Tender Heart".[12]

After graduating, Wolfe Herd traveled to Southeast Asia where she worked with orphanages.[14][15]

Career

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Early career

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In 2012, at age 22, Wolfe Herd joined Cardify, a startup led by Sean Rad through Hatch Labs IAC incubator. The project was later abandoned, but Wolfe Herd joined the development team of Tinder (previously known as MatchBox) with Rad and Christopher Gulczynski.[16][17][18]

Wolfe Herd became vice president of marketing for Tinder.[11][15] She reportedly came up with the name of the app, taking inspiration from the flame logo and the idea of tinder, which is easily combustible material used to start a fire.[19] She has also been credited with fueling its popularity on college campuses and growing its user base.[20][21]

Wolfe Herd resigned from Tinder in April 2014. In September 2014, she received just over $1 million from settling a lawsuit against the company for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment after dating a Tinder co-founder who became "verbally controlling and abusive".[22][23][11]

Bumble Inc. (2014–present)

[edit]

Wolfe Herd started sketching out a female-only social network centered around compliments which was to be called Merci.[24]

Badoo founder Andrey Andreev encouraged her to start a new dating app and brought her on as a partner in his company, MagicLab, later renamed Bumble Inc. Andreev retained 79% ownership in the company for an investment of $10 million, along with additional investments, consulting services, and use of Badoo's infrastructure; Wolfe Herd served as CEO and received a 20% ownership stake.[25][26][27] She planned to name the app Moxie, but this name was already taken.[28]

In December 2014, Wolfe Herd moved to Austin, Texas.[23][15][29]

By December 2015, Bumble reached over 15 million conversations and 80 million matches.[23][30][10][11]

In April 2019, Wolfe released the first print issue of Bumble Mag in partnership with Hearst.[31]

In November 2019, Andreev sold a majority stake in Bumble Inc. to The Blackstone Group. Wolfe Herd became CEO of the company, valued at $3 billion with an estimated 75 million users, with an ownership stake of approximately 19%.[32]

In 2020, Bumble Inc. replaced MagicLab as the parent company of both Bumble and Badoo. As of 2020, Bumble had over 100 million users worldwide.[33][34]

In February 2021, Bumble Inc. became a public company via an initial public offering.[35] Her 18-month-old son was on her hip as she rang the Nasdaq bell.[36] She then became the world's youngest female billionaire.[37][38] She became the youngest woman to lead an initial public offering in the United States, at age 31.[39][40]

In November 2023, Wolfe Herd announced she would enter the role of executive chair in January 2024, with Lidiane Jones stepping into the position of CEO of Bumble.[41][42][43]

In May 2024, Wolfe Herd suggested at the Bloomberg Tech Summit that single people might use AI dating concierges as stand-ins for themselves when contacting potential partners online.[44]

In January 2025, Bumble announced that Wolfe Herd would return as CEO in mid-March, replacing Jones, who was stepping down for personal reasons.[45]

Awards and recognition

[edit]
  • Forbes listed Wolfe Herd at number 33 of the top 100 "America's richest self-made women" (2022)[48][49]
  • InStyle’s "50 Women Who Are Changing the World" (2018)[55]
  • Listed in a TechCrunch feature on 42 women succeeding in tech (2017)[56]

Personal life

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In December 2013, she met oil and gas heir Michael Herd on a skiing trip in Aspen, Colorado.[57] They married in 2017 at Positano, Italy.[57][58] They have two sons, born in 2019 and 2022.[59][60] The family lives in Austin, Texas.[58]

The 2025 film Swiped is based on Wolfe Herd’s life and stars Lily James.[61][62][63][64]

Advocacy

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In March 2019, Wolfe Herd testified before the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence committee about the prevalence of unsolicited explicit photos sent to female users on dating applications.[65]

References

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  1. ^ Guillen Gilthorpe, Darla (July 10, 2019). "Texas entrepreneur, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd celebrates 30th birthday amid company rumors". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Whitney Wolfe is Bringing Feminism to Your Phone". ATX Woman. April 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  3. ^ Charlotte Alter/Austin (March 19, 2021). "How Whitney Wolfe Herd Turned a Vision of a Better Internet Into a Billion-Dollar Brand". Time. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "How I Built This". NPR. October 16, 2017. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "Bumble Inc. 14A". United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
  6. ^ "Whitney Wolfe is Bringing Feminism to Your Phone". Austin Woman Magazine. April 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Amanda FitzSimons (November 27, 2017). "Whitney Wolfe Helped Women Score Dates. Now She Wants to Get Them Their Dream Job". ELLE. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Cohen, Haley (March 26, 2018). "Bumble Vs. Tinder: What's Jewish About The Epic Dating Site War?". The Forward.
  9. ^ "Celebrating our Alumnae for Women's History Month". Judge Memorial | Diverse & Inclusive College Preparatory School. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Charlotte Alter (May 15, 2015). "Whitney Wolfe Wants to Beat Tinder at Its Own Game". Time. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d Hannah Ellis-Petersen (April 12, 2015). "WLTM Bumble – A dating app where women call the shots". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Hilary Hirschfeld (November 3, 2010). "SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart". Daily Campus. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  13. ^ "Meet Bumble chief executive Whitney Wolfe". The Washington Post. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  14. ^ Thurmond, Sarah (August 2, 2015). "Queen Bee". Austin Monthly. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Kimya Kavehkar (March 7, 2016). "Whitney Wolfe: The Matchmaker". Paper Mag. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  16. ^ Josie Ensor (May 23, 2015). "Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe: 'The word 'feminist' seemed to put guys off, but now I realise, who cares?'". Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  17. ^ Melissah Yang (January 29, 2015). "Whitney Wolfe Says Goodbye Tinder, Hello Bumble". Los Angeles Business Journal. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  18. ^ Shontell, Alyson. "What It's Like To Found A $750 Million Startup, Go Through A Sexual-Harassment Lawsuit, And Start All Over By Age 25". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  19. ^ "Whitney Wolfe: The Woman Who Took Tinder To Court – And Came Back Fighting". Grazia. August 3, 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  20. ^ Hepola, Sarah (January 18, 2018). "How Whitney Wolfe Herd Changed the Dating Game". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  21. ^ Tucker Cummings (July 1, 2014). "Tinder's Whitney Wolfe: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  22. ^ "The Story of Whitney Wolfe Vs. Tinder". July 9, 2014. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c Todd C. Frankel (December 2, 2015). "Whitney Wolfe, founder of dating app Bumble, has had quite the year. She just can't discuss parts of it". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  24. ^ "Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  25. ^ Kosoff, Maya (November 4, 2014). "Report: Ousted Tinder Cofounder Settled Her Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against The Company For 'Just Over $1 Million'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021.
  26. ^ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu (May 10, 2025). "Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again". The New York Times.
  27. ^ Shontell, Alyson (January 27, 2015). "What It's Like To Found A $750 Million Startup, Go Through A Sexual-Harassment Lawsuit, And Start All Over By Age 25". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021.
  28. ^ "How Whitney Wolfe Herd Changed the Dating Game". January 18, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  29. ^ Bennett, Jessica (March 18, 2017). "With Her Dating App, Women Are in Control". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  30. ^ Leora Yashari (August 7, 2015). "Meet the Tinder Co-Founder Trying to Change Online Dating Forever". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  31. ^ "Bumble goes to print with its new lifestyle magazine, Bumble Mag". TechCrunch. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  32. ^ "Andrey Andreev sells stake in Bumble owner to Blackstone, Whitney Wolfe Herd now CEO of $3B dating apps business". TechCrunch. November 8, 2019. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  33. ^ "Bumble hits 100 million users—and has new plans to take over the dating world". July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  34. ^ Elad, Barry (February 13, 2024). "Bumble Statistics 2024 By Active Users, Facts, Trend and Revenue". Enterprise Apps Today. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
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  36. ^ "The tech billionaire who is putting women first". BBC News. April 7, 2021. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  37. ^ Au-Yeung, Angel. "Bumble Cofounder Becomes World's Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire, Thanks To IPO". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  38. ^ Mousinho, Katy. "How Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire". Management Today. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  39. ^ "Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd becomes the youngest woman to take a company public". Fortune. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  40. ^ Laporte, Nicole (February 11, 2021). "Bumble's Whitney Wolfe Herd on making Nasdaq history and breaking barriers for women CEOs". Fast Company. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  41. ^ Saul, Derek (November 6, 2023). "Former Billionaire Whitney Wolfe Herd Out As Bumble CEO Amid Stock's 80% Slide". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  42. ^ O’Brien, Sara Ashley. "WSJ News Exclusive | Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd Steps Down". WSJ. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  43. ^ Gross, Jenny (November 6, 2023). "Whitney Wolfe Herd Is Stepping Down as Bumble's C.E.O. After a Decade". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  44. ^ Tolentino, Daysia (August 27, 2024). "AI personas are the future of dating, Bumble founder says. Many aren't buying". Yahoo Tech. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  45. ^ Adamczyk, Alicia (January 17, 2025). "Bumble's new CEO is already leaving the company months after killing its signature feature". Fortune. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  46. ^ Kosoff, Maya. "The 30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019.
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  49. ^ "#39 Whitney Wolfe Herd". Forbes.com. October 13, 2020. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
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  51. ^ "The people and ideas that defined global business in 2021". Bloomberg L.P. December 1, 2021.
  52. ^ Ryan Mac (January 3, 2017). "2017 30 Under 30: Consumer Technology – 28 of 30". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017.
  53. ^ "Forbes Releases 2018 Edition of the 30 Under 30 List". Forbes. November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017.
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  55. ^ "Whitney Wolfe Herd". CEO Connection.
  56. ^ "A look at 42 women in tech who crushed it in 2017". TechCrunch. December 22, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018.
  57. ^ a b Macon, Alexandra (October 5, 2017). "Bumble Founder Whitney Wolfe's Whirlwind Wedding Was a True Celebration of Southern Italy". Vogue. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  58. ^ a b Rose, Hilary (June 26, 2018). "The queen of dating apps: how Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble, plans to stop men behaving badly". The Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  59. ^ "Whitney Wolfe Herd on Instagram". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  60. ^ "Whitney Wolfe Herd Is Also Up With Her Toddler at 1 A.M." Time. February 24, 2023. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  61. ^ Mendoza, Leia (August 11, 2025). "'Swiped' Trailer: Lily James Plays Bumble CEO Who Takes on Tinder in Dating App Biopic". Variety. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  62. ^ Jim Donnelly (August 11, 2025). "Watch 'Swiped' Friday, September 19 on Hulu". ABC. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  63. ^ Kroll, Justin; Grobar, Matt (March 25, 2024). "Lily James To Star In Film Inspired By Story Of Bumble Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd For 20th Century Studios & Ethea Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  64. ^ Sydney Bucksbaum (August 11, 2025). "Lily James starts a revolution against Tinder's 'pervasive dick pics' in first trailer for Swiped". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  65. ^ "Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable—and Does It Even Matter?". Texas Monthly. March 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
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