Whitney Wolfe Herd, born on July 1, 1989 (35 years old) in Salt Lake, United States, is an entrepreneur known for being the CEO of Bumble, a dating application. She is also a co-founder of Tinder, another app in the same field. In 2021, Wolfe Herd became the youngest woman to take her project to the United States stock market.
That same year, the young entrepreneur was labeled a “billionaire” after taking her venture public through Nasdaq. Currently, after stepping down as CEO of Bumble, she is the executive chair of the company and uses her social media platforms to spread a message focused on female entrepreneurship.
The beginnings of Wolfe Herd
Life is often shaped by one’s contacts and environment. This was true for Whitney, who studied International Relations and Marketing in Dallas in 2009, the same year she entered the world of entrepreneurship. Wolfe Herd began by selling tote bags—large, simple-designed handbags.
Later, her journey led her to Hatch Labs, a sizable consultancy where Wolfe Herd met key individuals who would help develop an empire: Tinder. It’s an online dating application and one of the most well-known platforms in online interactions. Match Group owns Tinder, and the American entrepreneur’s time there was brief—just two years—ending due to personal issues. In 2014, after a short trip to Greece, Wolfe Herd created Bumble with the aim of supporting female entrepreneurship.
Bumble was born this way and later adopted a model similar to Tinder’s “match” format, with the added feature that on Bumble, it’s the woman who initiates the conversation. Like most dating apps, it enforces strict controls, promotes inclusion, and uses artificial intelligence to verify user profiles.
Bumble
Bumble gained significant relevance in 2021, when the app reached over 40 million profiles. Meanwhile, Badoo, a new dating app, was acquired by the Bumble company and entered the market for public trading. Four years ago, Wolfe Herd entered the “billionaire” category due to Bumble’s rapid and sudden economic impact.
Bumble’s stock peak came in 2021, just one week after the stock market debut, reaching a high of $78.89. In November 2023, the stock fell by 83%, dropping to $13. At that moment, Wolfe Herd announced her departure as CEO and her transition to executive chair. Her billionaire status faded as Bumble shares plummeted.
Currently, with the advancement of technology, Bumble integrated artificial intelligence into its system to optimize user experience and ensure users feel comfortable and satisfied. With the knowledge she has accumulated, Wolfe Herd’s goal at Bumble is to promote “better behavior” within the app.
The most recent news, from March 2025, is that Whitney announced her return as CEO after her successor resigned for “personal reasons.” During Wolfe Herd’s time as executive chair, Bumble experienced periods of growth, and the company is now awaiting updated figures for the final quarter of 2024.
A rollercoaster
The path taken by Whitney Wolfe Herd is atypical in the culture of CEOs. Without a family business to inherit or a formal education in business administration, Wolfe Herd entered the business world through past experiences and connections with those who launched Tinder, where she was directly involved. That momentum led her to found her own dating app: Bumble. Overnight, the young entrepreneur became the youngest woman to list a project on the stock exchange. The $78 stock peak placed Wolfe Herd among the world’s billionaires.
A collapse in Bumble’s stock resulted in massive financial losses for Wolfe Herd, and she ceased being extremely wealthy. That rollercoaster of emotions, experiences, and ventures marked the life of Wolfe Herd—a young entrepreneur whose strong belief in female empowerment always shaped her values. She is now once again the CEO of Bumble. The years 2017 and 2018 were key for the American entrepreneur, who was recognized by Forbes and Inc. as an outstanding woman.