FORTUNE - Justin McLeod, founder of Hinge, started the dating app while at Harvard Business School. Initially struggling to attract users, he bribed students with KitKats and managed to attract only a few dozen sign-ups daily. To fund the app, McLeod collected checks of $5K to $10K from anyone willing to invest. He even deferred a job offer from McKinsey with a six-figure salary to focus on Hinge, eventually turning it into a success. By 2015, Hinge raised $26M before being acquired by Match Group. Today, McLeod remains Hinge's CEO, with the app earning $396M in 2023. He advises Gen Z entrepreneurs to balance idealism with practicality, encouraging them to take action rather than overthink their career paths.
by Orianna Rosa Royle
See full article at Fortune
See the top news on Hinge
| |
