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The Incredible Journey Of Wolfe Herd And The Dating App Bumble Which Went Public

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The Incredible Journey Of Wolfe Herd And The Dating App Bumble Which Went Public,Startup Stories,Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd becomes the youngest woman to take a company public,Bumble Cofounder Becomes World’s Youngest Self-Made Woman Billionaire, Thanks To IPO,Shares in dating app Bumble soar in first day of trading on Nasdaq,Austin dating app Bumble sets price for $2.2 billion IPO will start trading Thursday,Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on Bloomberg Studio 1.0,Read Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd's letter celebrating the company publicly filing for an IPO

Silicon Valley woke up to the news of the dating app Bumble making its public debut.  Bumble is a dating app which caters to women and is led by a woman named Whitney Wolfe Herd.  As soon as Bumble made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NSE,)  shares of the dating app soared by as much as 67%.  This led to the net worth ofWolfe Herd, the Chief Executive Officer of Bumble, to be valued at $1.5 billion, thereby making her a self made billionaire at just the age of 31.  Bumble plans to use the $2.2 billion proceeds from the IPO to pay off debt, fund international growth, and pursue acquisitions.

However, the story of Wolfe Herd and Bumble is one of mettle, grit and inspiration.  The journey of the unicorn is nothing short of a story.  Keep reading to find out how Wolfe Herd founded a company to rival Tinder.

Journey

Wolfe Herd began her journey as a co founder of Tinder, the world’s biggest dating app.  Whitney Wolfe Herd was Vice President of Marketing, at Tinder when she began her journey.  However,  Wolfe Herd alleged she was subjected to sexual harassment by her colleagues at Tinder and that she was stripped of her co founder tag because having a girl with that tag makes the company seems like a joke.  Wolfe Herd walked out of Tinder and filed a lawsuit against Match Group, the parent company of Tinder.  The lawsuit was settled out of the court for $ 1 million.

It was her experiences at Tinder which led Wolfe Herd to start Bumble, a dating app which lets women make the first move.  Women can swipe across profiles of men and choose to begin a conversation after a match.  At no point in this process could a man make the first move thereby putting women in firm control about the conversation as well as offering them a safety net.  

After taking some time off following the nasty lawsuit with Tinder, Wolfe Herd received an email from a Russian named Andrey Andreev, who is based in London and founded Badoo, another dating app which was the world’s largest dating app at that time (2014.)  Andreev was impressed with Wolfe Herd’s commitment at Tinder and said he would help her with her new startup and ended up investing $ 10 million in her idea.  Andrey Andreev would own 79% stake while Wolfe Herd owns 20% and the title of CEO and at the same time be able to tap into the infrastructure and resources of Badoo.  Herd and Andreev brought in former Tinder executives Chris Gulczynski and Sarah Mick, to design the new app’s back end and user interface.  Both Mick and  Gulczynski share the remaining 1% stake between themselves.

ALSO READ: Tinder: The Unique Story Behind The Swipes

During a cocktail event, Andrey and Wolfe Herd were discussing a scenario where women could make the first move and get the phone number of a guy after a match.  However, the match would disappear after 24 hours if neither of the parties made a move.  This became the core of Bumble and the secret sauce for its success.

By January 2015, about a month after launch, Bumble had about 100,000 downloads.  By the end of 2017, two years after launching, Bumble had amassed more than 22 million users.  This growth was noticed by Tinder which then made a buyout offer for $ 450 million.  Wolfe Herd rejected the offer immediately.  By July 2020, Bumble announced it had reached 100 million users.  Today, Bumble is available in 150 countries and is expanding into new areas like business networking.  In 2019, revenue jumped more than 35% and it turned a profit of $ 68.6 million.  More than 10% of Bumble’s users pay $9.99 for a monthly subscription to access perks like extra time to decide whether a suitor merits a message.  At Tinder, just about 5% of users pay for a similar service.

Today Bumble is the second largest dating app in the world and only continues to grow with its closest competitor being Tinder.

 

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Zepto Delays IPO to Focus on Profitability and Indian Ownership

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Zepto - StartupStories

Overview

Zepto, a leading quick commerce startup, has postponed its planned IPO to early 2026, shifting its focus to achieving profitability and increasing Indian shareholding before going public.

Key Reasons for Delay

  • Profitability Focus: Zepto aims to reach EBITDA break-even before listing, unlike many tech firms that went public while still loss-making.
  • Market Uncertainty: Ongoing global and domestic market volatility influenced the decision to wait for more stable conditions.
  • Peer Comparison: The company wants to present a stronger profit profile, learning from the performance of rivals like Swiggy and Zomato (now Eternal).

Boosting Domestic Shareholding

  • Target: Zepto plans to raise Indian ownership to at least 51% to comply with FDI norms and reinforce its Indian identity.
  • Actions: The company is conducting secondary share sales to Indian investors and founders are increasing their stakes by buying from foreign investors.
  • Progress: Domestic ownership has reached about 40-44%, with expectations to surpass 51% before the IPO.

Financial and Operational Updates

  • Efficiency Drive: Zepto is optimizing operations, running over 900 dark stores and offering 48,000 SKUs, to reduce cash burn and move toward profitability.
  • Challenges: The company faces stiff competition from Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit, leading to higher costs, and has dealt with operational pauses and regulatory scrutiny in some regions.

Outlook

Zepto remains positive about its future, aiming to raise around $800 million in its IPO and attract both domestic and international investors. CEO Aadit Palicha emphasizes building a sustainable, majority Indian-owned business before entering the public market.

Summary: Zepto’s IPO delay reflects a strategic focus on financial stability and regulatory compliance, with profitability and Indian ownership at the forefront.

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Polygon Enters New Era: Leadership Shift and Major Upgrades Under Sandeep Nailwal

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Polygon StartupStories

Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, has been appointed as the first CEO of the Polygon Foundation, marking a shift from decentralized governance to focused leadership. This change aims to provide clear direction and accelerate Polygon’s growth in the competitive blockchain space.

Under Nailwal’s leadership, Polygon will discontinue its zkEVM network in 2026 to concentrate on the Polygon PoS chain and AggLayer, a new cross-chain liquidity protocol. Significant upgrades to the Polygon PoS chain are planned, starting with the Bhilai upgrade in July 2025, to enhance transaction capacity and support large-scale financial applications.

Polygon enters this new phase with a strong financial position, enabling long-term development without fundraising pressures. While Nailwal leads the Foundation, Marc Boiron continues as CEO of Polygon Labs. This leadership restructuring aims to drive innovation and reinforce Polygon’s position in Ethereum scaling and the Web3 ecosystem.

 

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Wow! Momo Raises ₹85 Crore from Stride Ventures to Accelerate Nationwide Expansion

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WoW Momo StartupStories

Wow! Momo, the Kolkata-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain, has secured ₹85 crore (approximately $9.9 million) in debt funding from Stride Ventures, aiming to accelerate its omnichannel expansion and strengthen its presence across India. The company, which operates over 700 outlets in more than 70 cities, plans to utilize the funds to open additional dine-in restaurants, expand its packaged food (FMCG) vertical, and enhance its delivery and supply chain operations. This strategic move will also help refinance existing loans and fuel Wow! Momo’s push into new markets and product categories.

Founded in 2008, Wow! Momo has rapidly diversified its offerings, launching brands such as Wow! China, Wow! Chicken, and Wow! Kulfi, and recently entering the frozen foods segment with quick commerce and retail distribution. The company is targeting a footprint of over 1,500 stores across more than 100 cities within the next three years and aims to grow its FMCG business to ₹100 crore while ramping up its HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) segment. The leadership team views this debt infusion as pivotal for scaling new formats, driving innovation, and building brands that resonate with Indian consumers.

Stride Ventures, known for backing high-growth startups, emphasized Wow! Momo’s strong brand recall, robust business model, and relentless innovation as key reasons for their investment. With this funding, Wow! Momo is well-positioned to further solidify its status as a category-defining player in India’s QSR and FMCG sectors, while preparing for larger equity rounds and a potential IPO in the coming years.

 

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