Whitney Wolf Herd

Bizarre. On that point of personal branding, though, do you think building a personal brand is important?

Bizarre. On that point of personal branding, though, do you think building a personal brand is important?

In those early years of Tinder, I remember being told the story maybe 10 years ago in San Francisco when I was working there with a guy called Michael Birch, who was the old Bebo founder. In his little sort of incubator that I was in when I was 20, they were telling me the Tinder story of how you went to a fraternity. For people that don't know what a fraternity is, what's a fraternity?

In those early years of Tinder, I remember being told the story maybe 10 years ago in San Francisco when I was working there with a guy called Michael Birch, who was the old Bebo founder. In his little sort of incubator that I was in when I was 20, they were telling me the Tinder story of how you went to a fraternity. For people that don't know what a fraternity is, what's a fraternity?

Uh, so I guess in the UK it would be like college clubs maybe. Do they have like members clubs or something like that? So basically sororities and fraternities and sororities are a house of women and fraternities are a house of men. And essentially a lot of college students, they do something called rush where they rush and they go house to house and they meet all the women or all the men.

Uh, so I guess in the UK it would be like college clubs maybe. Do they have like members clubs or something like that? So basically sororities and fraternities and sororities are a house of women and fraternities are a house of men. And essentially a lot of college students, they do something called rush where they rush and they go house to house and they meet all the women or all the men.

And then they basically prep. They, uh, put in the name of the one they would really love to be a part of, and then they see who accepted them back. It's been criticized up and down, and there's a lot of things that are not spectacular about it, but this is a way a lot of people find friendship and community. It's a community gathering for their college campus.

And then they basically prep. They, uh, put in the name of the one they would really love to be a part of, and then they see who accepted them back. It's been criticized up and down, and there's a lot of things that are not spectacular about it, but this is a way a lot of people find friendship and community. It's a community gathering for their college campus.

So with Tinder, I essentially went back to my alma mater at SMU. I had just graduated, so a lot of my best friends were still in school. So I got access to the campus, And I would start at the sororities and then go to the fraternity. So I'd essentially have all the young women download it and then run to the fraternity and then they would download it and then everyone would start connecting.

So with Tinder, I essentially went back to my alma mater at SMU. I had just graduated, so a lot of my best friends were still in school. So I got access to the campus, And I would start at the sororities and then go to the fraternity. So I'd essentially have all the young women download it and then run to the fraternity and then they would download it and then everyone would start connecting.

So, you know, is that good? Is that bad? How do you want to chop that up 10 years later? Who knows? But that's the reality and, you know, can't escape the truth. But so you heard about this way back when.

So, you know, is that good? Is that bad? How do you want to chop that up 10 years later? Who knows? But that's the reality and, you know, can't escape the truth. But so you heard about this way back when.

I heard about this 10 years ago, because we were building community-centric apps. We were building something called Blab, which resembles what Clubhouse is now. And when we were talking about the marketing strategy, Tinder kept coming up. But yeah, that was the thesis.

I heard about this 10 years ago, because we were building community-centric apps. We were building something called Blab, which resembles what Clubhouse is now. And when we were talking about the marketing strategy, Tinder kept coming up. But yeah, that was the thesis.

It was like, should we go to fraternities and go get, you know, to try and build that sort of isolated, tight community to try and get product market fit.

It was like, should we go to fraternities and go get, you know, to try and build that sort of isolated, tight community to try and get product market fit.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Because network effects really, really matter, especially in the dating game.

Because network effects really, really matter, especially in the dating game.