BIZ WOMEN – Startup Soon, established in San Francisco in 2020 by Cora Kyler and Alena Titova, offers a new dating app experience aimed at facilitating real-world meetings quickly through both individual and group dates. With a funding of $1M and a team of three, Soon sets itself apart with features like video prompts and direct meet-up invitations at hand picked spots.
Month: February 2024
Justin McLeod Turned Down Prestigious Job Offer to Start Hinge
CNBC – Justin McLeod, before founding Hinge, was on track for a consulting career, with a job offer from McKinsey and a business degree from Harvard. However, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to invest his $12K signing bonus from McKinsey into starting a dating website, Hinge. Despite initial skepticism from his parents and the eventual demand from McKinsey to return the bonus after delaying his start date multiple times, McLeod's venture into the dating app world proved successful. Hinge has grown to be a major player in the dating app market, generating $396M in direct revenue in 2023 under the Match Group portfolio.