Joel Simkhai
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Short description|Israeli-American tech entrepreneur}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Joel Simkhai
| native_name = יואל שמחאי
| native_name_lang = he
| image = File:Joel Simkhai 2012 (cropped).jpg
| alt = Joel Simkhai at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012
| caption = Simkhai at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2012
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1976}}
| birth_place = Tel Aviv, Israel
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation =
| years_active =
| alma_mater = Tufts University
| known_for = Founder and former CEO of Grindr and Blendr
| notable_works =
| relatives =
}}
Joel Simkhai ({{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|m|'|k|aɪ|audio=en-us-Simkhai.oga}}; {{langx|he|יואל שמחאי}}; born c. 1976) is an Israeli-American-French{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/9221eb2b-83d6-4a9e-bde6-5581ed2b21d1|title=Grindr's Joel Simkhai Becomes A French Citizen|date=18 November 2022|website=www.ft.com}} tech entrepreneur. He's the founder and former CEO of Grindr and Blendr. His original goal in starting Grindr was for people with similar interests to find new friends nearby.
Early life and education
Joel Simkhai was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. His mother was a jeweler, and his father was a diamond dealer. When Simkhai was three years old, his family moved to New York City. While in high school, he says he dated women; he remarked that he was not being dishonest about his sexuality, but that his "coming out of the closet was a process". He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations & Economics from Tufts University in May 1998.{{cn|date=September 2021}} After starting college, he came out to his parents and friends. He has two brothers, who are also gay. Simkhai owns several properties, primarily residing in New York. In 2021, Dave Keuning bought a mansion that Simkhai owned in Outpost Estates.
Business career
After college, Simkhai worked in mergers and acquisitions. He conceived the idea of the app to answer the need of knowing "who else around you is also gay". While he started with little money or expertise, and never expected Grindr to become international, he became a multimillionaire CEO of an app with millions of users worldwide. In 2014, Simkhai demonstrated that he was a user of his own app. He ceased including in his profile information regarding his role behind Grindr In January 2018, he left Grindr after the company was sold to the Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech.
Simkhai is a charter member of the Young Presidents' Organization.
In 2022, Simkhai launched a mobile app called MOTTO for the gay and queer community. He labeled it as an attempt to "course correct" away from the negative aspects of already-existing gay dating apps.{{cite news |last1=Schermele |first1=Zachary |title=Over a decade after founding Grindr, Joel Simkhai wants a do-over |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-life-and-style/decade-founding-grindr-joel-simkhai-wants-rcna56083 |work=NBC News |date=16 November 2022 |language=en}} The company is based in New York City. According to its website, the app shut down in September 2024.{{Cite web |title=MOTTO |url=https://findmotto.com/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=findmotto.com |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite magazine |url=http://fortune.com/2014/08/12/10-questions-joel-simkhai-founder-and-ceo-grindr/ |title=10 Questions: Joel Simkhai, founder and CEO, Grindr |first=Chanelle |last=Bessette |date=August 12, 2014 |magazine=Fortune |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=July 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702235057/http://fortune.com/2014/08/12/10-questions-joel-simkhai-founder-and-ceo-grindr/ |url-status=live }}
{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/1.601218 |title=Israeli Founder of Grindr Talks About Growing Up Gay and Coming Out to His Family |author=Doron Halutz |date=June 28, 2016 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=June 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625114850/http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/1.601218 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/tech/A-New-Dating-Blendr-129452388.html |title=A New Social Blendr |first=Mekahlo |last=Medina |date=September 8, 2011 |publisher=NBC Los Angeles |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701162856/http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/tech/A-New-Dating-Blendr-129452388.html |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |url=https://www.numero.com/en/culture/culture-encounter-joel-simkhai-founder-grindr#_ |title=An encounter with Joel Simkhai, founder of Grindr |author=Philip Utz |publisher=Numéro |date=August 25, 2016 |access-date=April 12, 2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805224518/https://numero.com/en/culture/culture-encounter-joel-simkhai-founder-grindr#_ |url-status=live }}
{{cite news |url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/03/14/grindr-creator-on-his-new-app-lesbian-gaydar-more-at-sxsw-video/ |title=Grindr creator on his new app, lesbian gaydar, & more at SXSW [video] |first=J. |last=O'Dell |date=March 14, 2012 |work=VentureBeat |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=October 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028094827/https://venturebeat.com/2012/03/14/grindr-creator-on-his-new-app-lesbian-gaydar-more-at-sxsw-video/ |url-status=live }}
{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/fashion/the-sex-education-of-grindrs-joel-simkhai.html |title=The Sex Education of Grindr's Joel Simkhai |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Guy |last=Trebay |date=December 12, 2014 |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=April 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420065217/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/fashion/the-sex-education-of-grindrs-joel-simkhai.html |url-status=live }}
{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-life-and-style/decade-founding-grindr-joel-simkhai-wants-rcna56083 |title=Over a decade after founding Grindr, Joel Simkhai wants a do-over |newspaper=NBC |first=Zachary |last=Schermele |date=November 16, 2022 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116142046/https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-life-and-style/decade-founding-grindr-joel-simkhai-wants-rcna56083 |url-status=live }}
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Category:American LGBTQ businesspeople
Category:Israeli LGBTQ businesspeople
Category:Businesspeople from Tel Aviv
Category:Tufts University alumni