Nationality American Name Sam Yagan | Years active 1999–present Parents Al Yagan | |
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Born April 10, 1977 (age 47) ( 1977-04-10 ) Alma mater Harvard UniversityStanford University Spouse(s) Jessica Droste Yagan (m. 2003) Organizations founded Crazy Blind Date, Humor Rainbow, Inc., The Spark People also search for Christian Rudder, Chris Coyne, Max Krohn, Gregory R Blatt, Eli Bolotin | ||
How Match.com CEO Sam Yagan Uses Content to Drive Pageviews – Hustle Con 2016
Sam Yagan is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of OkCupid. In 2013, he was named to TIME Magazine's '100 Most Influential People in the World' list. He is currently the CEO of the e-dating site Match.com.
Contents
- How Matchcom CEO Sam Yagan Uses Content to Drive Pageviews Hustle Con 2016
- Founders stories okcupid s sam yagan
- Family and education
- SparkNotes
- eDonkey Inc
- OkCupid
- Excelerate Labs
- IAC
- Time 100
- Fortune Magazines 40 Under 40
- Crains 40 Under 40
- Personal life
- References
Founders stories okcupid s sam yagan
Family and education
The son of Syrian immigrants, Al and Dr. Haifa Yagan, Sam was instilled with an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age. He grew up in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and studied at the Illinois Math and Science Academy and eventually Harvard University. Yagan holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University, where he earned distinction as a Siebel Scholar, an Arjay Miller Scholar, and the Henry Ford Scholar, the award granted to each class’s valedictorian. His brother Danny Yagan is an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His wife Jessica Droste Yagan is the CEO of Impact Engine, an impact investing fund.
SparkNotes
In 1999 during his senior year at Harvard, Yagan and two of his classmates, Chris Coyne and Max Krohn, started the online study guide SparkNotes. Christian Rudder joined shortly after the founding. A year later they sold the company to Barnes & Noble for $30 million.
eDonkey, Inc.
By age 25 Yagan was the president of eDonkey (founded in 2002), a P2P file-sharing network. As the developer of eDonkey, Yagan testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing a need for balance between innovation and intellectual property.
OkCupid
In 2003 Yagan again teamed up with his Harvard classmates, Chris Coyne and Max Krohn and founded OkCupid.
Excelerate Labs
In 2009 Yagan and Troy Henikoff founded Excelerate Labs.
IAC
In 2011 Yagan sold his dating website (OkCupid) to IAC for $50 million and in 2012 Yagan became the CEO of Match.com (a subsidiary of IAC).
Time 100
In April 2013 Yagan was listed as one of TIME Magazine's '100 Most Influential People in the World'.
Fortune Magazine's 40 Under 40
In 2014, Yagan was listed as one of Fortune Magazine's "40 Under 40."
Crain's "40 Under 40"
In 2011 Yagan was named to Crain's "40 under 40" in Chicago.
Personal life
Sam Yagan is married to his high school sweetheart, Jessica Droste Yagan.