Match.com Founders – Gary Kremen and Sam Yagan
If you’re looking for an online dating website, you’ve probably heard of Match.com and its founders, Gary Kremen and Sam Yagan. However, you’ve probably also heard of Electric Classifieds Inc. founder Gary Kremen. Here are some facts about them and their history with online dating. All of them are involved in socially conscious business, including Clean Power Finance and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Electric Classifieds Inc. founders
The company founded in 1993, Electric Classifieds Inc., pioneered the use of the Internet for classified ads. Later it evolved into an online matchmaking site. The founders initially focused on single women, but soon broadened their reach to people of all backgrounds. The result was a successful online dating site. Now, the company has more than two million members and is still growing. But what do you know about these founders?
Gary Kremen
When he wasn’t working for a government aerospace contractor in Silicon Valley, Gary Kremen was a student at Stanford. This internship exposed him to the ARPANET, a massive computer network established by the U.S. Department of Defense. Kremen recognized the potential in the system, and decided to become an entrepreneur to take advantage of it. He enrolled at Stanford Business School and graduated in 1987. Later that year, he teamed up with former classmate and business partner Ben Dubin and founded Los Altos Technologies.
When Cendant sold Match to Ticketmaster Citysearch Services for $50 million in June 1999, Kremen received $50,000 in cash. He also held stock in ECI, which eventually went out of business. Kremen has no ties to the Match brand today. Ultimately, the company was sold to other companies and Kremen no longer has any involvement. In addition to building a company based on online dating, Kremen also founded two software companies that are profitable today.
While the Match founder’s efforts were laudable, his business model was fraught with problems. He found himself in conflict within the adult entertainment industry. He sued Cohen and won a $65 million judgment against him. Cohen then fled the country and claimed to be broke. In return, Kremen received a poorly kept mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California, and a rundown house on the border with Mexico.
In addition to his desire to improve the efficiency of the assessor’s office, Kremen enlisted women’s opinions. He asked women he knew about what attributes they were looking for in a partner. The idea was born, and the company was founded upon these insights. The result is a matchmaking website that offers a wide variety of potential partners. There’s no way to say which of these companies will become the next success story.
The entrepreneur gathered data about his clients and compared them to make compatible matches. The computerized dating process removes many of the inefficiencies that plague analog dating. Match customers would complete questionnaires and answer a series of questions. The software would then pair the two based on their compatibility. In the end, the two groups would be able to communicate via email. It’s as simple as that.
Sam Yagan
American internet entrepreneur Sam Yagan is the co-founder of dating site OkCupid and Vice-Chairman of Match.com. He was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. Read on to learn more about this successful entrepreneur. We rounded up some of his most interesting achievements and accomplishments. Read on for a look at his career and personal life. After all, what is dating without the Internet?
Sam Yagan is an internet entrepreneur and Managing Director at Corazon Capital. Before joining the Match Group, he founded ShopRunner, a company that provides free two-day shipping and seamless checkout for over 100 leading online retailers. He led the company through an acquisition by FedEx Corp. in 2020. In addition to being the vice chair of Match Group, he also co-founded OkCupid, which has more than four million members and was described as “the Google of online dating.” In 2015, Match Inc. acquired OkCupid for $90 million, making him a highly successful entrepreneur.
Before starting his dating site, Sam Yagan was an entrepreneur. He co-founded several start-up companies before he became a matchmaking entrepreneur. His first company, SparkNotes, sold for $30 million the following year. Yagan also started Excelerate Labs and testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the business of dating sites. He had a knack for developing new products and ideas and helped to create the first dating website.
After founding OkCupid, Yagan stepped down as CEO to focus on other projects. He will now serve as the Vice-Chairman of the Match Group. His personal life is not entirely centered around the business of dating sites, though. He and his team have a track record of building successful businesses. In addition to founding OkCupid, Sam has also been involved in the business of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.
Before launching match.com, Sam Yagan founded SparkNotes, an online study guide. The platform had ad-supported content, and it was a textbook example of an online business. Today, Sam has a strong passion for early-stage entrepreneurs. Sam has a background in the tech sector and serves on the boards of several start-ups and venture capital firms. In addition, he is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Management’s Advisory Board.
Zynga’s David Kim
Bernard Kim has been the President and CEO of Zynga since 2016. He oversees global marketing, ad monetization, product management, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Zynga, Kim worked at Electronic Arts Inc. and was responsible for the company’s mobile publishing business. Before joining Zynga, Kim held various positions at Walt Disney Company and EA.
Currently serving as Zynga’s point person in the mobile and entertainment industry, Kim is also a recipient of the PocketGamer’s #1 Developer award. Before founding Zynga, Kim spent nearly 10 years at Electronic Arts Inc. as Senior Vice President of Mobile Publishing and led the company’s mobile division and international expansion. Kim is also a seasoned veteran of mobile games, having helped bring a variety of popular franchises to billions of users.
Kim’s experience in mobile gaming and online dating is likely to benefit Match’s prospects. His background at Zynga, the maker of FarmVille and other social games, may offer him valuable insights into Match’s expansion plans. The new CEO will be charged with turning the company’s prospects around. Although Match is a young company, Kim’s hiring could help the company survive and grow.
Founded in 1999, Match Group is the parent company of popular dating apps Tinder and Hinge. Kim has led Zynga since 2016, helping it quadruple its market cap and triple its revenues. It is pending a $12.7 billion acquisition by gaming giant Take-Two Interactive. Kim is expected to receive a $1 million base salary and millions in stock grants.