Become the CEO your parents always wanted you to marry. -Whitney Wolfe Herd

Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder of Bumble, a dating app where women make the first move. After alleging sexual harassment and discrimination with Tinder (she wishes no ill will on anyone in the company), Wolfe broke away from the popular dating app and vowed to start her own app. Having recently reached the 29 million user mark, Bumble has taken the dating world by storm, but that’s not all the app offers. Bumble has also implemented options to find new friends and find new business opportunities, called Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz, respectively. Because of these different avenues a user can take on the Bumble app, it is often referred to as a social media network instead of just a dating app.

After the incident with Tinder, Wolfe began to have her own ideas of how the internet, and the world of dating, should be framed. She began to think of ideas that would rewrite the internet from a female’s perspective, instead of the usual male’s. Her business partner also encouraged her to create a better female platform. Wolfe mentions that so many women in history have gone through so many struggles, and she is very proud of how things are changing for the better. Within Bumble, this mindset also rings true. Positive and encouraging behavior is encouraged, and anything remotely misogynistic or abusive results in a user being banned or blocked on the app. Wolfe says that Bumble is the first app to firmly promote this idea. She also says the most important thing in her company is culture, to ensure that her employees’ voices are heard and that they count.

Wolfe originally never meant to go back into dating, until she met her current husband and fellow feminist, Michael Herd. She says that two men, her husband and business partner, are both part of the solution to creating a better environment for women, and not just in the dating sector. Wolfe’s advice for interacting with users on any dating app is:

[While using a dating app], dive into [that person’s] personality. Don’t start with hey or hi. Bumble gives you vast insight into somebody’s interests.” -Whitney Wolfe Herd

Wolfe has received an overwhelming amount of support, whether it is from users of her app, or sports teams like the Clippers. Bumble recently partnered with the Los Angeles Clippers to display Bumble patches on their jerseys, signifying empowerment. Rightfully dubbed the “Empowerment Badge,” the Clippers are now part of a movement under the hashtag #StrongerWithHer, which is intended to encourage gender diversity and equality. The Clippers currently have the only female President in the entire league, which is one factor that attracted Wolfe to the Clippers specifically. Her objective was to enter into a league that she feels is generally misogynistic, and make a change from within that industry.

This partnership is more than a patch.
Proud to stand with @Bumble for diversity and gender equality.
We are #StrongerWithHer.

For more info, please visit: https://t.co/1CRln6I2Xk pic.twitter.com/S7hHUk8ek3

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 6, 2018

Along with creating Bumble for women to feel confident in making the first move, Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz were created to give them confidence in other parts of their lives as well. BumbleBFF is an option you can toggle on the app that allows users to use the app to find strictly friends. Men are able to find male friends, and women are able to find female friends. Bumble BFF is intended to allow people to form communities, and is rooted in “kindness, equality, empowerment, and accountability.” Using this version of the app is a great way to showcase your hobbies, and find friends who share the same interests as you. (Like brunch and wine nights, am I right?) Bumble Bizz, on the other hand, is to create more professional connections. It seems to be giving LinkedIn a run for its money! Other features include disabling the dating section of Bumble, that includes a timestamp to hold users accountable for their choices to use the app.

Wolfe has also taken a political stance with her company, now claiming that guns are not allowed to be in any profile pictures. Especially with the number of women that die yearly because of domestic abuse and gun violence- Wolfe believes she is doing the right thing by speaking out against it. She says she will always put her values first, above everything else. Above all, those values include spreading positivity, creating contagious kind behavior, and empowering women. While Bumble was created before movements like #MeToo began, Wolfe says Bumble was made for movements like #MeToo, before they even happened. On this social media platform, women are able to stand up for themselves, condemn negative behavior, and help men realize what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable when it comes to interacting with someone you’re interested in. With all of this in mind, Bumble is only growing in popularity, and Tinder is even thinking of adapting their “female first” ideals to their platform. The conversation about gender equality is ever-changing, and Bumble is only the beginning.

I want to go to every corner of the earth so every woman knows it’s okay to make the first move. They are equal and empowered! – Whitney Wolfe Herd