Valerie Stark

Valerie Stark
Born1986 (age 38–39)
Moscow, Russia[1]
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCEO, Co-founder of Huggle

Valerie Stark (born 1986) is an entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is the co-founder and CEO of the mobile app Huggle.[2] Stark is also a board member at Bumble and an advisor to Badoo.[3]

Early life

Stark was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. At the age of 15, she began working as a secretary for a technology company. Stark studied interior design and paid for the education herself.[4]

Career

Prior to founding Huggle, Stark blogged about gardening[5] and worked in a managerial position for one of the largest restaurant business in Moscow where she was known for her role in the company's European and UK expansion.[6] After moving to London from Moscow,[7] she found it hard to make friends and began using her familiarity with Instagram's geolocation feature to find people with common interests.[8] She met Stina Sanders using this technique and the two women eventually founded Huggle based around Stark's idea of connecting people who visit the same locations.[9] Stark is considered a feminist entrepreneur.[10] In 2018, she was named one of the Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs in the UK to Watch in 2018 by About Time magazine.[11]

References

  1. ^ Amelia Heathman (4 May 2018). "Co-founders of dating app Huggle on their mission to change social media, one app at a time". Evening Standard.
  2. ^
  3. ^ "Attendee".
  4. ^ Валерия Бородина. "Клуб по интересам: как переехать в Лондон и создать приложение для знакомств". Forbes (in Russian).
  5. ^ Cook, James (2 July 2016). "A New Survey Says Dating Apps Like Tinder Are Making People Self-Conscious". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  6. ^ Zimmerman, Kelsi (4 January 2017). "Stop Swiping and Start Connecting". Swaay. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  7. ^
  8. ^ Moloney, Aisling (11 September 2017). "What is Huggle? The Dating App Katie Price Has Been Told to Join". Metro. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  9. ^
  10. ^ Tamplin, Harley (14 February 2018). "Tech Feminist Has Banned Valentine's Day on Her Dating App". Metro. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  11. ^ Malin, Angelica. "Top 30: Female Entrepreneurs In The UK To Watch in 2018". About Time. Retrieved 19 March 2018.