Grindr CEO Interview
Grindr CEO Interview
Finding love or even just a quick hookup in South Florida can sometimes be a daunting task. If you are anything like me, going up to someone you think is hot to spark a conversation isn’t something you’re even remotely comfortable doing – that is unless I have a few cocktails of course. For most of us, finding potential dates typically means spending an evening out and about at a gay bar or club, and drinking just enough liquid courage to numb the pain of potential rejection. And if you are successful in meeting someone, more often than not, you wake up the next morning with a frog as opposed to the prince you thought you went to bed with.
Last year, I joined the 21st Century by finally trading in my Blackberry for an iPhone. Of course, all of my friends immediately filled me in on this really great app called Grindr that has helped them meet tons of new guys, build new relationships, and, of course, enjoy some scandalously fabulous encounters. With all the talk, I couldn’t wait to download this app, and, in fact, Grindr was the very first app I added to my new iPhone.
Within seconds of the download, I was already “grinding”. Guys that I had seen around South Beach – where I live – but had never had the courage to talk to were now at my fingertips. As a result, I was able to chat, date, and hookup with guys I have been drooling over for years.
After a few months of grinding, I stumbled across the profile of this really cute guy, and we began to chat. The conversations became more and more intimate, and finally we decided to meet one night. And that night led to many, many more. Now, that same guy is my live-in boyfriend, who I love and adore. As crazy as it may sound, Grindr helped me find love, and I am sure I am not the only one.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet Grindr founder and CEO, Joel Simkhai at the grand opening of The Lords South Beach, and was very impressed. Joel has not only created a fun app that allows you to communicate with guys around you; he has created an entire social network that includes social events, marketing, and community relations.
After meeting Joel, I just had to sit down with him to get the inside scoop on Grindr and the man behind the mask – well in this case, the skull.
Check out what he had to say:
Where are you from and where do you currently live?
I was born in Tel Aviv, and moved to New York with my family at age three. I grew up in New York and now currently live in Los Angeles. My family also has a place in Miami, and I try to visit several times a year. I love South Beach and Miami.
What was your profession before Grindr?
I worked in several fields before I started Grindr. Finance, a news desk, a start-up, and most recently I started my own Internet marketing firm.
How did you come up with the Grindr concept?
The idea came about because I started getting frustrated with all the other dating websites and with the idea of “Why is location not a higher priority?” You can search based on city, but what about the guy in your building or across the street? After having many missed connections throughout my life, I knew there had to be a better way to make it easier to meet people. When the 2nd generation iPhone was announced, it had three key elements: GPS, the App store, and the iPhone SDK, which was the software language to write apps in an easy way. These three factors allowed us to create Grindr.
What is the concept of Grindr?
The basic concept behind Grindr is making it easier to chat with and meet other guys around you - that's what Grindr is all about. It is a way to facilitate new conversations and bring people together with others they may have never noticed or met at all. You log in (no registration required), view a cascade of photos of the guys closest to you in distance, and can click on a thumbnail to view a guy’s profile and start a chat.
How long did it take you to develop the app?
It took about a year from the time I had the idea to the launch of the app in March 2009, and about six months of software development time. Several months after the launch of Grindr we created our premium version, Grindr Xtra. It comes with extra perks like push notifications, no ad banners, profile swipe, and more guys viewable (200 vs. 100 in the free version). We will continue to release updates with new features and keep Grindr going strong.
Why do you think Grindr has been so successful?
The ability to see the gay and bi guys near you and chat with them is probably the most compelling aspect to our users. Additionally, I think the simplicity of the app, the Grindr brand, and most importantly the support of our users (word-of-mouth) have all played a part in helping us grow so quickly. Our users have played a large part in making us so successful by telling their friends and spreading the word about their experience with Grindr. The app is very universal and intuitive - you don't need to speak English to use Grindr, and you don't need to create an account, you can just log on and start chatting.
Did you ever think it would become this popular?
I had hoped that people would find Grindr useful and that it would grow, but I did not expect it to grow so quickly in a short amount of time. We currently have about 1.4 million users in 180 countries around the world, and it's been just under two years since we launched. We have over 270,000 guys logging in every day. It's pretty amazing.
One of the most unique things about Grindr is the viral marketing campaign. How did you get so many people to talk about the app so quickly?
Our users helped spread the word and it was through their word-of-mouth that we grew in leaps and bounds. We also had several Grindr parties around the world, which brought many users together in one place and created a community that people wanted to be a part of. Another large driving force was when Stephen Fry mentioned us on Top Gear in the UK (search YouTube to see the clip: “Grindr on Top Gear”) - our numbers jumped tremendously after that in the UK and other countries.
Who is your average Grindr user?
We have a large user base that is very diverse. Most guys are in their 20s or 30s, but beyond that there is a wide variety. There are guys looking for dates, relationships, networking, or traveling in the area and looking for advice on what to do and see.
A lot of bar and club owners have been very skeptical of dating websites, because they feel that it is taking the guys out of the club. How do you feel about that?
We are different from a traditional dating site in that we don’t tie you to a desktop computer, so the notion of competing with bars and clubs doesn’t apply to us. With Grindr there is an incentive to be mobile, because every time you go somewhere different, you see new and different guys. Anywhere there is a group of gay guys together in the same area, that’s where Grindr works best - in some ways it encourages guys to go out to the club and see nearby Grindr guys. For someone who might be reluctant to approach a stranger at a bar, Grindr can be a great tool to break the ice.
You’ve also taken the Grindr concept and created a socializing aspect to it by hosting events and parties. How did that come about?
We had heard from a lot of places that their patrons were using Grindr inside the venue, so Grindr parties were a natural extension of Grindr. They provide a way to bring a lot of users together in one place to log on to the app and have lots of guys pop up in your immediate area to chat with.
What has been the response to these events?
Our users and the venues we have worked with have given us a lot of positive responses, as it helped drive attendance to the bars/clubs that hosted the parties, and helped instill a sense of community with our users. We’ve had over 250 parties around the world in diverse places like South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Australia.
How can someone host a Grindr party?
Any venue that is interested in hosting a Grindr party or even just promoting their own non-Grindr event can send an email to promo@grindr.com and we'll be in touch.
I am sure you hear success stories all the time. What’s your favorite one?
I love being a matchmaker and knowing that we are bringing people together. I don't have a specific favorite, but it gives me a lot of joy to hear from users that they have met the love of their life on Grindr or a great new best friend. One user told us how he felt alone when he moved to a new city for school, but with Grindr he was able to make friends much easier and find others that liked the same things as him - these kinds of stories give me a great feeling.
Unlike most gay dating sites, you guys don’t allow nudity in your photos. Why is that?
For us to remain in the App Store, we have to remain within Apple's guidelines regarding adult content and nudity. We're constantly reviewing and evolving our guidelines to ensure a comfortable environment for our users and remain in compliance with Apple.
I understand that you have partnered with other organizations in the past to create co-branded apps. Can you explain how that works?
We do have one co-branded app, and we partner with many other organizations in advertising, whether it is sending a broadcast message to our users about an event or displaying banner ads in the app. Anyone interested in advertising with Grindr can send an email to advertising@grindr.com.
What do you hope to accomplish with Grindr?
My goal is to be able to provide the Grindr service to everyone - men, women, straight, gay, anywhere in the world. Everyone wonders to themselves, "who and what are around me?" This basic universal question is the driving force behind our innovations.
What’s in the future for Joel Simkhai?
Right now, I am working on evolving the Grindr experience with new features, and also bringing it to more users by expanding to other platforms. We are in final stages of beta testing for Grindr for BlackBerry devices, and BlackBerry and Android users can sign up at Moregrindr.com to get the latest updates on new developments. We have our straight/lesbian version in the works as well, no set release date but anyone can sign up with their email address at MoreGrindr.com to get the latest updates.
by Thomas Barker
Copyright © 2009 - 2013 Wire Magazine & Wire Media Group LLC All Rights Reserved
WIRED