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7 Women That Took Their Companies Public In 2021

Forbes Middle East - English

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February 2022

Despite economic uncertainty, favorable market conditions throughout 2021 led to an increased appetite for companies entering public markets. Meet the women that have successfully taken their company public over the last year.

- JAMILA GANDHI

7 Women That Took Their Companies Public In 2021

Whitney Wolfe Herd

Company: Bumble

IPO valuation: $4.9 billion

In February 2021, dating app Bumble made its 32-year-old cofounder Wolfe Herd, the youngest woman to take a company public. Wolfe Herd, who owns a 21% stake in Bumble, became the youngest self-made woman billionaire after going public on Nasdaq in the same month. At the time of writing, she was no longer a billionaire. The startup was the second big dating app to go public after Match Group’s 2015 debut. Bumble was established in 2014 by Wolfe Herd and Andrey Andreev as a social network designed around women, which eventually transformed into a dating app where only women can make the first move. Andreev exited the company in November 2019.

Heather Hasson and Trina Spear

Company: FIGS

IPO valuation: $3.5 billion

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