The ongoing pandemic has drastically shaped how we maintain existing relationships but it’s also transformed how we get those relationships started, pushing more first encounters online and adding social distance into the dating process. It’s been uncharted waters for the dating app market to weather, as well.
For Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, the massive shift comes months after big changes in her own role. After Badoo founder Andrey Andreev sold off his stake in the dating apps conglomerate he created, Wolfe Herd stepped into the CEO role of MagicLab (which has been newly rebranded to Bumble), taking charge of its digital dating empire which includes the Badoo, Bumble, Lumen and Chappy dating apps. We’re excited to announce that Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd will be joining us at Disrupt this September to discuss the future of the dating app market.
Wolfe Herd entered the dating app scene as a co-founder and VP of Marketing at Tinder, where she helped change the face of online dating. Following her filing of a lawsuit over sexual harassment and discrimination, later settled out of court, Wolfe Herd left the company to create Bumble after taking on a substantial investment from Andreev.
In mid 2019, following a bout of exposés highlighting a culture of sexism and misconduct at Badoo, Andreev sold off his stake to Blackstone. Wolfe Herd was appointed to the helm of MagicLab (now Bumble), the parent company of Badoo and Bumble, where she now wields outsized influence in the world of online dating apps.
Bumble itself has grown to more than 100 million users, and done so in a way that is relatively unique in Silicon Valley terms.
Alongside the news of the rebrand, Bumble has also made some new appointments to the leadership team, including Tariq Shaukat as President, Ronen Benchetrit as the parent company’s Chief Technology Officer, and Tran Taylor, Chief People Officer.
Hear how it all got started, and what’s next in the world of online dating, from Wolfe Herd at Disrupt 2020 on September 14-18. Get a front-row seat with your Digital Pro Pass for just $245 or with a Digital Startup Alley Exhibitor Package.
