Quick Facts
Biography
Joel Simkhai (born c. 1979 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is the CEO and founder of geosocial networking and dating apps Grindr and Blendr. His original goal in starting Grindr was for people with similar interests to find new friends nearby.
Life and career
Simkhai was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. His mother sold jewelry and his father was a diamond-dealer. When he was three years old, his family moved to New York City. He received his bachelor of arts degree in International Relations & Economics from Tufts University in May 1998. After starting college, he came out to himself and his parents. While his father accepted the news immediately, his mother took more time, but is now proud of her son and how famous he has become.
While he started with little money or expertise and never expected Grindr to become international, he is now a multimillionaire CEO of an app with millions of users worldwide.
Simkhai is a charter member of the Young Presidents' Organization.