Whitney Wolfe Herd co-founded Tinder and helped it grow into a cultural phenomenon. But in 2014, she left after filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company. She was publicly vilified, receiving death threats and watching her reputation torn apart online. At 24, she was burned out, heartbroken, and unsure if she’d ever work in tech again. The industry she helped build had chewed her up and spit her out.
The Turning Point
Wolfe Herd met Andrey Andreev, founder of Badoo, who encouraged her to start a new dating app. She was hesitant—dating apps had caused her so much pain. But she realized she could build something different, where women made the first move and harassment was designed out from day one. In December 2014, just months after leaving Tinder, she launched Bumble with $10 million in funding from Andreev.
The Strategy
Bumble’s core innovation was simple but revolutionary: women message first. This single rule shifted power dynamics and reduced harassment. Wolfe Herd positioned Bumble as a feminist brand, marketing it on college campuses with bright yellow branding and empowering messaging. She expanded beyond dating into Bumble BFF (friendship) and Bumble Bizz (networking), building a lifestyle platform. She also implemented AI-powered safety features and photo verification to combat catfishing.
The Results
By 2021, Bumble went public with a valuation of $13 billion, making Wolfe Herd the youngest woman to take a company public in the US at age 31. The IPO made her a billionaire. Bumble now has over 50 million users across 150 countries. She proved that you could build a dating app that was both profitable and ethical, where safety and respect were features, not afterthoughts.
