How Whitney Wolfe Fought against its Biggest Rival - Tinder: Bumble Startup Story

Left swipe, right swipe. That is the focus of modern dating. Match Group, which owns the finest in dating sites like Tinder and OkCupid, looks to be at the root of it all. However, they don't control a rival.

Bumble was born out of adversity, persecution, and a desire to rebuild itself, and it has succeeded. Tinder, on the other hand, was not going away quietly, and the rivalry has only grown. A number of cases have been filed between the 2 parties. So, what did the bumble do to deserve such scorn?

Did you know that the founder of Bumble Whitney Wolfe was previously the co-founder of the Tinder app founded in 2012?

Yes, Wolfe was among the founders of Tinder, who also served as the Vice President (Marketing). The creator of Bumble later allegedly faced numerous threats, harassment, got dumped by one of the Tinder executives who was also her boyfriend before being ousted from the company. She even sued Tinder for such happenings and it was she who started Bumble later on!

So, let's have look at the complete journey of Bumble, including the Bumble story, history, Bumble target audience, business model, its revenue model, mission and vision, how Bumble makes money? and more!

About Bumble
Target Audience of Bumble
Mission and Vision of Bumble
Bumble - Founders and Team
Tagline and logo of Bumble
How was Bumble Started?
Business model of Bumble
Revenue model of Bumble
How does Bumble make money?
What makes Bumble unique?
Startup Challenges faced by Bumble
Competitors of Bumble
Future of Bumble

About Bumble

Bumble is a platform for dating and socializing. It connects individuals with others in their vicinity for dates, informal hangouts, and corporate meetings. It was founded by former co-founder of Tinder, Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014. Bumble is different from Tinder in that it empowers women and helps them make the first move.

Bumble Date

It's Bumble Date, the matchmaking tool that's at the heart of Bumble. On this platform, people can link possible love mates to outings, with women taking the initial step.

Bumble BFF

People can utilize the Bumble BFF portal to search and socialize in their area. This feature seeks to introduce you to more individuals and help you become pals with those who are new in town or have a hard time making friends. Bumble BFF allows both men adn women to have the privileges of making the first move. The bumble bff age range starts from 18 years.

Bumble Bizz

Finally, the Bumble Bizz feature offers entrepreneurs connecting options such as finding advisors in their sector, speaking with ideal interns, and launching new job prospects. Online dating is becoming commonplace in our society.

Tinder is the most widely used dating tool, and many folks find love in it. Other dating apps, on either hand, are growing rapidly and may pose a risk to Tinder's supremacy. As luck would have it, Tinder's co-founder is contesting the designation. Whitney Wolfe Herd, the creator of Bumble.

Target Audience of Bumble

Bumble is a dating app primarily for 18 to 34-year-olds, who can be referred to as Bumble target audience and want to make genuine social and work ties. Regardless, because of its history as a female-centric dating site, Bumble remains the app of woman's choice. They like the idea of connecting and making friends in a safe setting.

The networking drives the app's appeal among males by increasing the number of female members. When a large number of individuals use a brand, its value rises. Bumble's rising community makes it easier to form positive links, which attracts more users.

Bumble began as a dating service, but its attention turned. Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz were created recently. Amidst this, the website keeps putting women first.

Mission and Vision of Bumble

The aim of Bumble is to establish a "portal and community that empowers links in dating, life, and career."

They attempt to do so by fostering "responsibility, fairness, and compassion in a drive to abolish sexism and redefine antiquated gender norms." Women on Bumble are the ones to initiate contact!

“A future free of misogyny, where all connections are equal,” is what they envision.

Bumble - Founders and Team

Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder and CEO of Bumble, who started the app in 2014. Whitney was a student of Southern Methodist University. She is later credited with being the co-founder of the most popular dating app Tinder, where she eventually managed the Marketing, being the VP of marketing. However, after certain unpleasant experiences and under unprecedented circumstances, she left the company and then later founded Bumble, where she is currently serving as the founder and CEO.

Bumble had over 700 employees when last recorded in 2020.

Tagline and logo of Bumble

Their tagline is “Shine Bright Like A Diamond”.

The color scheme is ideal for the app's tone and purpose. The color yellow has been linked with vitality and young. But, more deeply, it's the hue of honey, that reflects stuff most people seek from a dating site. Both variants of the logo's font are driven by rounded, softer arcs, which are commonly linked with femininity.

How was Bumble Started?

An odious beginning

Whitney Wolf Herd started her career at the age of 19 when an oil leak spurred her to team up with a fashionista and make handbags to raise funds for rescue efforts. She also volunteered in Asia and got a job at Hatch Labs Incubator at the age of 22, where she met Sean Rad. They collaborated to build Tinder.

Many people regard Wolfe's efforts as the basis why the app grew so big on campuses across the U.S., here's where the conflict begins.

Justin Mateen, Tinder's CMO and Wolfe's employer, was one of the initial members. They started dating, which was a bad decision. They dated for nearly a year but before she ended things with him, he went nuts, abusing and assaulting her sexually. But it doesn't stop here; when Wolfe went to CEO Sean Rad, he switched sides.

Her cofounder's position was canceled by both Rad and Mateen. They stated that she's just a woman and how they had five co-founders. According to Mateen, hiring a female CEO made it sound like a bad thing. They then compelled her to leave without pay.

Wolfe retaliated by filing a lawsuit against the firm, citing Mateen and Rad's chats as proof, prompting an inquiry and Mateen's instant detention, that he would later vacate. Rad was demoted at first, but he was later reappointed.

The case made headlines, and rightfully so: the firm she helped build was a success. Tinder had a rolling average of over a billion swipes and a $1.1 billion worth by the end of 2015.

On a daily basis, Wolfe received backlash and threatening texts. She felt everything was over. Her despair and terror were caused by the app she helped build and market. However, Wolfe was not crushed.

Another inkling

Wolfe desired to restart, but the response and hatred from the Tinder affair made her opt to avoid the dating sector entirely. Her modern approach centered on women's security and offer comfort.

She was supposed to start a social platform for women alone. She had sketched out the entire scheme when Andrey Andreev, a Russian-British entrepreneur, who had met her and been struck by her tenacity, wrote to express his support for the Tinder issue and to brainstorm with her.

When Wolfe set out her vision, Andreev claimed that her idea works like a dating app, despite Wolfe's protests. Wolfe finally agreed after much persuasion. Chris Gulczynski and Sarah Mick, both ex-Tinder employees, were called in to assist with design.

It'll be on Wolfe's rules if she returned to the realm of dating apps. She often found dating habits weird, despite the fact that she had counted herself a feminist from a young age. Why did women have to obey set norms, the bulk of which were set by the guy's actions or desires? That was going to be changed.

Wolfe launched Bumble in 2014, just months after the Tinder catastrophe, with Andreev's assistance and Badoo's technological worth as a portal. It was a huge hit. In a year, the firm had matched 80 million people, had 15 million distinct chats and had some fascinating unique features.

Business model of Bumble

Bumble operates on a freemium paradigm. It’s a business model in which simple benefits are given for gratis, yet few premium features are available for a cost.

Bumble is a free dating portal for those over the age of 18. That's how the firm expands its audience. The app's visibility also motivates fresh members to join because of its wide reach. Bumble doesn't charge to signup or interact with people. Other options such as Beeline, Backtrack, and SuperSwipe, however, cost money.

Notable freemium services include YouTube, Spotify, and Google.

Revenue model of Bumble

Bumble's revenues mainly come from its paid subscriptions from the users. These subscriptions allow the users to get benefits in the form of more swipes and additional interactions.

Bumble, to date, has over 42 million users out of which 1.35+ million users are paying customers.

To sum up, some of the premium packages of Bumble are:

Bumble Premium - The Premium subscription of the Bumble app enables the users to check who has right-swiped them, use the incognito mode, swipe in different locations, boost their profile, set advanced filters and more.    

• For 1 week this subscription charges $17.99
• For 1 month it charges around $32.99
• For 3 months it charges around $66.99
• There is also a lifetime subscription pack worth $199.99

There are 3 other premium packages of Bumble. These are:

Boost - $7.99 to $47.99 (recurring)

Spotlight - $5.99 to $49.99 one-time purchase

SuperSwipe - $5.99 to $39.99 one-time purchase

How does Bumble make money?

Bumble's main aspects are totally free. People can call and swipe for free. Bumble makes money by selling premium add-on features like Spotlight and Boost.

The spotlight works in the same way as Tinder's Boost does. Users access Bumble coins to stay ahead of the match line, enhancing their exposure. Once you get Spotlight, you have 30 min to use it.

Users can buy coins via the app. The value of coins varies greatly among nations and locations.

Another paid tool is Boost. This tool's benefits include:

• No swipe constraints.
• Discover people that liked you.
• Pairs will be prolonged for an extra 24hrs.
• Enjoy endless search tool.
• Interact with old buddies.

Unlike Spotlight coins, it's not a one-time buy. All week, a monthly, 3 months, or a lifelong, purchase can be made. All three Bumble attributes: BFF, Bizz, and Date are supported with paid add-ons. Customers pay a monthly membership fee to Boost.

Netflix works in the same fashion, enabling users to opt from a range of monthly membership options.

What makes Bumble unique?

We all know Wolfe wished to shake things up. But how do you do it? A Sadie Hawkins dance, where a lady asks a guy to be her date, was among her influences. This was implemented in Bumble. If a girl and a guy match, only she has 24 hrs to start an interaction. Women had more power over their speech by having these possibilities.

Bumble BFF was another feature of the app that enabled women to meet other women searching for friends. About 90% of women used the app's BFF option right away after it was released.

Plus, Bumble's collaboration with Vital Voices implies that the business funds to a woman-focused NGO for every 1st step taken on the app.

These aspects contributed to the app's success. Bumble had 22 million active members as of 2017. Bumble experienced a 70 percent year-over-year increase vs Tinder's 10%. Her firm earned over $100 million in 2017, and she was named one of Forbes' 30 under 30. Everything was fine, but it was about to get ugly.

Startup Challenges faced by Bumble

As you may recall, Wolfe sued Tinder, which resulted in Mateen's exit and Rad's demotion. It didn't stop there, though. Because Bumble had received a deal by the mid of 2017. Someone demanded $450 million for it. The Match Group was that someone.

As a result, it felt that bumble, the app that wish to break free from Match Group, might wind up inside its dating app shell. The sale was denied by Bumble due to a poor bid, but the back-and-forth that ensued was lengthy.

Bumble had to present key papers that demonstrated its true worth as lieu of the potential buyer. The Match Group retaliated by pulling out of the deal.

Tinder said in February 2018 that they would add a women-talk-first choice, which was nearly identical to Bumble's initial concept. Tinder disputed any misconduct, stating that the concept came from approaching women and understanding their needs, even going further to declare this was voluntary, demonstrating that it's not the same.

Match Group then fought back, filing a lawsuit against bumble, claiming that it was a replica and that two former staff had leaked info. They even argued it was a trademark breach to use the word "swipe" in a dating setting. Bumble retaliated in an unusual way: via an open letter. “Match Group, we swipe left on you.” When Bumble sued Match Group for losses, it resulted in a $400 million countersuit.

Experts believe that it's not a legal struggle over artistic material custody, but a statement from both sides to funders. Do you want to put your money into a tyrant or a wannabe?

As if it wasn't terrible enough, Wolfe was dealing with her own problems as allegations arose linking Andreev to misogynistic tweets as well as discriminating behavior at Badoo, the same reason she had quit Tinder in the first place.

It was now going on at Bumble's parent business. Yes, Andreev stepped aside and subsequently sold his shares to the UK financial firm Blackstone, but Wolfe was now in charge of Bumble in the midst of the scandal.

Wolfe reaffirmed her commitment to a healthy corporate culture, but the charges and events (including Andreev's resignation) are hindrances she must deal with as CEO of bumble. She even modified the software to filter out any inappropriate, vulgar picture and alert users about the potential for nudity. Users can relax thanks to the aptly titled Private detector.

Bumble has an in-app call option, but both users must opt to use it. And the world favors dating. Bumble is making progress. It boasted 66 million subscribers and profit by the year 2019. Given the struggles, this ship is at best travelling in the right way. Wolfe, on the other hand, isn't decelerating.

Competitors of Bumble

Clover Inc

Clover Inc is among Bumble's main rivals. It was created in 2013 and is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Clover Inc, like Bumble, works in the social media space. It earns 2.62% less income than Bumble.

Tinder

Bumble's main competitor is Tinder. It was created in 2012 and is based in Los Angeles. Tinder, like Bumble, is a social networking app. Bumble has 100 fewer staff than Tinder.

Happn

Bumble's 3^rd main competition is Happn. Happn is a private firm based in Paris, Île-de-France, which was created in 2013. Happn, like Bumble, operates in the Social Media space. It has 510 fewer staff than Bumble.

Future of Bumble

Wolfe has been engaged in a lot of issues, notably local policy. She even went further to demand that the law be changed to make online sexual abuse more punishable. In terms of the conflict with Match Group, Bumble has dropped out of the $400 million countersuits, while Match Group has not.

They've gone further to claim that the pandemic has led bumble to prolong the legal procedure. But, looking back, it feels that Wolfe's young but stormy career always was encircled by toxic settings, and she has persevered. Bumble isn't decelerating: Wolfe revealed intentions to go public in 2021, with a valuation of $6 billion.

Conclusion

Bumble is revolutionizing the online dating industry and is setting an example for empowering its members that rival firms should take note of, thanks to its exponential rise since its start in 2014.

All I can say is, who thought dating could be so tricky?

FAQ

How did Whitney Wolfe Herd start Bumble?

Whitney Wolfe Herd started bumble with the help of an Russian investor Andrey Adreev.

Who is the CEO of Bumble?

The CEO of Bumble is Whitney Wolfe Herd.

How does Bumble make money?

Bumble makes money by offering a paid subscription, called Bumble Premium, to its users.

Who created Bumble or who is the founder of Bumble?

Bumble has been created by Whitney Wolfe Herde. She was helped by Andrey Andreev in her efforts.

Does bumble cost money?

Bumble doesn't cost money initially because some of its basic features are free to use. However, when it comes to unlocking its advanced set of features like advanced filters and profile boosts, the company has other plans like:

Bumble Boost Plan - This is $16.99 for a month, and helps the users have the facility of unlimited likes and "rematches."

Bumble Premium subscription - This subscription of Bumble costs $39.99 for a month. It also has another option of a lifetime plan, which costs $229.99.

Is Bumble bff only for same gender?

Yes, Bumble bff is only for the same gender where matches can be made girls for girls and boys for boys.

What is the best time to use spotlight on Bumble?

Spotlight of Bumble is a special feature of the app, which makes it possible for the Bumble users who are enabled with Spotlight to advance their profile to the top of the stack so as to stay viewable by the people instantly.

The best time to use bumble spotlight in India is between 8 pm to 10 pm on Sundays of the week. This is because it has been assessed that this is the time that sees most of the Bumble users are browsing.