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The founder of dating app Bumble has become the youngest female self-made billionaire ever after the company made its debut on the US stock market.
The company’s shares skyrocketed when it was first offered to the public on the stock market on Thursday, raising co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd’s fortune to $1.6 billion (£1.1 billion).
Businesswoman Wolfe Herd, 31, owns 21.54 million shares in Bumble, which adds up to almost a 12% stake in the company.
The blonde bombshell founded Bumble in 2014 after working for another dating app, Tinder.
After leaving the company, Wolfe Herd sued Tinder, accusing former boss and ex-boyfriend Justin Mateen of sexual harassment.
Match Group, which owns Tinder, denied the allegations but paid out $1 million (£725,000) to settle, reports The Guardian.
Wolfe Herd then partnered with Russian billionaire Andrey Andreev in London, who had built dating apps for European and Latin markets.
Building Bumble, Wolfe Herd broke the mould by making women start the conversation when they match with a man.
After appointing an employment firm to investigate, the allegations were found to be “incorrect” but there were a few employees who felt there were elements of sexism within the company.
Shares in Bumble first had a public offering price of $43 (£31) on the market, but soared to $76 (£55) within a day.
Wolfe Herd tweeted: “Today, Bumble becomes a public company.
“This is only possible thanks to the more than 1.7 billion first moves made by brave women on our app — and the pioneering women who paved the way for us in the business world.
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