What Is Bumble Co-Founder and Former CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd's Net Worth?

Whitney Wolfe Herd's net worth

American entrepreneur and co-founder of popular dating platform, Bumble, Whitney Wolfe Herd has an estimated net worth of $510 million in 2023, according to Forbes. Herd had also co-founded the dating app Tinder. She briefly became a billionaire following Bumble's IPO at a $9 billion valuation. She also featured on Forbes’ list of America's Richest Self-Made Women 2023: Youngest Self-Made Women.

Nine years after the platform's launch, Herd recently stepped down from her position as the Bumble CEO. She will remain at Bumble as executive chair. She will be succeeded by workplace messaging service Slack’s CEO Lidiane Jones. The move was followed by the extended slide of Bumble’s share price.  

Sources of Income

Career

Herd's first venture started while she was studying at Southern Methodist University in Texas. She launched a business selling bamboo tote bags to benefit areas impacted by the 2010 BP oil spill. She also partnered with celebrity stylist Patrick Aufdenkamp to design the bags, and the company’s products were seen with celebrities such as Nicole Richie and Rachel Zoe. Herd and Aufdenkamp launched a clothing line as well to help raise awareness of human trafficking and fair trade. After graduating from college, she went on to work with orphanages in Southeast Asia.

Career at Tinder

Herd started her stint at a card loyalty app called Cardify in 2012. The company was run by Sean Rad who worked with engineer Joe Munoz to build a prototype for a dating app called MatchBox. MatchBox was renamed Tinder upon its launch in late 2012 and Herd was reportedly behind the name change.

Herd was then named the vice president of marketing for Tinder. The app became very popular within a short time. However, in 2014, Herd resigned amid growing tensions with other company executives, and after quitting, she sued Tinder for sexual harassment, and eventually received over $1 million plus stock as part of the settlement, according to TIME.

Founding Bumble

After Tinder, Herd conceptualized a female-only social network focused on compliments. She initially named it Merci. She partnered with Andrey Andreev to create a new female-friendly dating app Bumble in 2014. The app allowed only female users to make first contact with matched male users and in same-sex matches, either person can send their message first.

By late 2015, Bumble had over 80 million matches and generated over 15 million conversations. By 2017, it amassed 22 million registered users. In 2019, Herd became the CEO of MagicLab the parent company of Bumble. In 2020, Bumble took over MagicLab and it had grown to over 100 million users worldwide, per Celebrity Net Worth. In early 2021, Herd became the youngest CEO to take her company public on the Nasdaq exchange.

Bumble Stake

In 2023, Herd reportedly owned 21% of Bumble's outstanding equity. When Bumble went public, her net worth officially topped $1.5 billion and she became the youngest CEO ever to take a company to an IPO, at age 31. As per Celebrity Net Worth, before the IPO she privately sold $100 million worth of shares.

Real Estate Assets

Whitney Wolfe Herd along with her husband Michael Herd, lived in a three-home compound on Lake Austin. However, the 19,698 square feet, 6.5 acres, property was listed by the family for $28.5 million in 2020. The estate features 10 garages, boat docks, a wine room, tennis courts, and much more.

Personal Life

Whitney Wolfe Herd married oil and gas heir Michael Herd in 2017. The two first met in late 2013, while they were on a skiing trip in Aspen Colorado. They welcomed their son in 2019.

FAQs

How old is Whitney Wolfe Herd?

Whitney Wolfe Herd is 34 years old.

Is Whitney Wolfe Herd a billionaire?

Whitney Wolfe Herd became a self-made female billionaire in 2021 when Bumble went public.

How did Whitney Wolfe herd start Bumble?

After quitting Tinder and enduring a difficult exit, Whitney Wolfe Herd came up with the idea for an app that empowers women to “make the first move.”

How much is Whitney Wolfe Herd worth?

Whitney Wolfe Herd, the former CEO of Bumble, is estimated to be worth $510 million, as per Forbes.