Podcast appearances and mentions of sam yagan

Sam Yagan is the co-founder and Managing Director of Corazon Capital, a leading Chicago-based Seed and Series A venture fund. Their portfolio includes companies like SpotHero, Songfinch and Stellar, among others. Prior to Corazon, he served as CEO of ShopRunner and led its 2020 acquisition by FedEx Corp. Previously, as CEO of Match Group, he spearheaded the launch of Tinder in 2012 and oversaw the company's IPO in 2015. His previous ventures also include founding SparkNotes in 1999 and co-founding OkCupid in 2004. You can learn more about:  How to start and run multiple successful startups  How to run the best dating company  How to build a great network and start a fund  ===================== YouTube: @GraceGongCEO Newsletter: @SmartVenture LinkedIn: @GraceGong TikTok: @GraceGongCEO IG: @GraceGongCEO Twitter: @GraceGongGG =====================   Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

Today we are thrilled to have Sam Yagan, co-founder of OKCupid and ultimately the CEO of Match Group through its rapid growth and IPO. Sam takes us behind the scenes of OKCupid's gripping acquisition process (including phone calls from the delivery room). He also dives into his unlikely journey of being selected successor to his acquirer -- becoming the CEO of publicly traded Match Group. Jesse is joined again by special co-host Ryan Caldbeck: a startup founder and CEO himself, who is also well known on tech Twitter for discussing founder mental health. Don't forget to catch up on Ryan Caldbeck's In The Arena episode, “Terrifying Growth”, Managing Mental Heath, and Radical Sharing- linked below. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e7-ryan-caldbeck-on-terrifying-growth-managing-mental/id1691530886?i=1000623146998 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7H9Q0Cbudh3DeIKTzjTHBc?si=5HyYcAXRTxemSGNP9tzZ4Q RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix's culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Episode Preview: Sam Yagan (03:30) The day Sam is about to sign a term sheet to sell OKCupid (16:37) “Am I gonna miss my kid's birth?” (19:50) A last-ditch effort (23:44) The deal is on! Sam's reflections on dealmaking and unmaking (35:30) The state of the co-founders and exec team prior to selling (44:55) Would Sam have done things differently if he had traditional venture backing? (48:00) Failure feelings about getting out (58:18) Sam's best advice (1:04:00) After the deal: Sam stays on with OKCupid and then catapults to CEO of Match Group (1:13:53) Match's wartime CEO (1:20:15) Individual relationships in business matter, even as companies scale X: @samyagan (Sam) @ryan_caldbeck (Ryan) @jessegenet (Jesse) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @inthearena_pod

It's not surprising that one of the pioneers of online dating believes that being open to options and new ideas will help your life and career. Sam Yagan is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Corazon Capital, an early-stage firm based in Chicago with a MidWest focus. But Sam is most known for Co-Founding OKCupid! and moving up to become the CEO of Match Group, where he helped launch Tinder.This was a wonderful and sometimes introspective conversation on the challenges of being a founder, the power of being open to new possibilities, and where we are with the current market.We also have a news recap with John Ruffolo.About Sam Yagan:Sam Yagan serves as Co-Founder and Managing Director of Corazon Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm. He recently served as the CEO of ShopRunner, Inc., leading its 2020 sale to FedEx Corp.Prior to ShopRunner, Sam served as CEO of Match Group where he led the company through the launch of Tinder in 2012 and through Match Group's IPO in 2015. Sam's prior entrepreneurial ventures include SparkNotes (founded in 1999) and OkCupid (co-founded in 2004).Sam has a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.In this episode we discuss:(00:01:17) News recap with John Ruffolo(00:20:58) Sam Yagan's journey to entreprenuership(00:26:14) Was his career all luck?(00:28:20) How the exit of SparkNotes went(00:30:02) Regrets about not buying SparkNotes back(00:34:53) Seeing companies with broken cap tables but functioning businesses(00:36:57) Why they started OkCupid!(00:41:20) Deciding to sell to a larger rival, and then becoming its CEO(00:45:45) How Sam dealt with Imposter Syndrome(00:49:30) The PlentyoFish Acquisition(00:52:05) Deciding to career pivot to ecommerce(00:54:46) Lessons learned as an outsider coming in at ShopRunber(00:58:32) Why Sam chose to be a MidWest VC(01:01:23) How Sam's investing thesis has evolved(01:03:33) What Sam likes to invest in(01:04:26) Why they missed on Cameo(01:05:24) What Sam is passionate about in the futureFast Favorites:*

Sam Yagan and Lindsay Verstegan worked together as the CEO and CHRO of ShopRunner from 2016 until it sold to Fedex in early 2021. These two leaders worked closely from day one, setting a purposeful people strategy that led to 300% growth during their four years together. This conversation was recorded as part of Chicago SHRM's "HR Strategy Series". Chicago SHRM is a regional chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, a global organization dedicated to furthering the HR function and building better businesses. Time Codes:(2:28) - What is Shoprunner?(4:33) - How much did you help scale the business in your 5 years as CEO?(5:16) - What is it like to take over as the CEO? How do you set the vision and what is your mindset toward evaluating the needs of the business?(7:40) - How did you come into the picture?(11:13) - What were the conversations with Sam like when being honest about what you needed and did not want from your position within ShopRunner?(15:28) - What was going through Sam's mind as Lindsay set these boundaries?(17:09) - Defining “People Strategy”.(23:42) - What was the process like of making DEI a key part of decision making?(33:04) - How Lindsay was able to add value helping Sam deliver messages to the company that struck a chord.(34:50) -Hard conversations Lindsay and Sam had as they were building Shoprunner(39:56) - What was the transparency like with the employees in terms of communication during the pandemic?(43:09) - Communicating with Values.(46:38) - Lindsay's balance of tactical elements while also creating strategy within the HR functions.(50:34) - How are you pushing peers to help evolve the people strategy in other areas of the business?(55:42) - What Sam is looking for in an HR partner and what HR listeners can take away to add more value to the leadership team.(58:29) - Are there any decisions you made that you look back on that were maybe the wrong ones but helped you make better ones going forward?(1:00:22) - Team dysfunction.(1:03:48) - Rules for conflict within a team.(1:08:06) - Questions Sam starts every executive meeting with.(1:09:44) - How do you help people make the change when they're committed to DEI in theory but not in practice?(1:13:13) -  What happens if trust on the executive team is compromised?(1:16:08) - Wrap Up

Online dating was an early part of the Web. But, to Sam Yagan and his friends, it was broken. The industry leaders were all thinking about it the wrong way because they were trying to create matches for users.The OkCupid team didn't think people needed help finding matches. They thought people just needed help finding more potential mates to choose from, so that's what they focused on.Growth was slow at first, but, once they found the right formula -- by developing a series of strategies that have now become standard growth "best practices" across countless industries -- OkCupid took off. It eventually became one of the most popular dating websites in the world and has helped millions of people find their own soulmates.For a complete transcript of the episode, click here.

When it comes to making smart growth moves for your company, should you follow your head or your heart? Sam Yagan, Co-Founder of OkCupid and SparkNotes and current CEO of ShopRunner, knows the answer isn’t always cut and dry. Hear how he’s learned to strike the right balance.

The news to know for Thursday, December 5th, 2019! What to know today about the constitutional law experts who testified about President Trump and impeachment, and the new rule impacting people on food stamps. Plus: we're talking about once-a-month birth control, McDonald's coffee in car parts, and Uber's new feature to choose your 'favorite' drivers. Those stories and many more in less than 10 minutes! Then, hang out after the news for Thing to Know Thursday's bonus interview about holiday shopping trends in 2019 - from what's changing to Amazon's impact. Our guest today is Sam Yagan. He's the CEO of ShopRunner, known as the "Amazon Prime for everyone else." Head to www.theNewsWorthy.com/shownotes to read more about our guest and any of the stories mentioned in this episode. Today's episode is brought to you by GenoPalate. Thanks to The NewsWorthy Insiders! Become one here: www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider     Sources: Legal Experts Testify: Washington Post, NBC News, NYT NATO Summit Drama: Politico, USA Today, WSJ, FOX News, AP Pearl Harbor Shooting: CNN, NBC News, AP New Rule for Food Stamps: Reuters, CBS News, The Hill Famous Tree Lightings: FOX News, Thenationaltree.org, National Park Services Once-a-Month Birth Control: AP, Wired Coffee for Car Parts: CNBC, Cnet Uber's “Favorite Driver” Feature: Engadget, Uber.com First Official Craigslist App: Gizmodo, TechSpot Instagram Requires Birthdates: Reuters, The Verge

Sam Yagan, current ShopRunner CEO, cofounder of OkCupid, and former Match Group CEO, discusses the importance of culture for driving data-based decision making, innovation, and, ultimately, company success. Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 14:52) >

Sam Yagan, current ShopRunner CEO, cofounder of OkCupid, and former Match Group CEO, discusses the importance of culture for driving data-based decision making, innovation, and, ultimately, company success. Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 14:52) >

Sam Yagan, current ShopRunner CEO, cofounder of OkCupid, and former Match Group CEO, discusses the importance of culture for driving data-based decision making, innovation, and, ultimately, company success. Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 14:52) >

Sam Yagan is currently the CEO of ShopRunner which has raised over $100M from the likes of Alibaba Group or August Capital. Previously, he served as CEO of The Match Group and led it through a period of growth culminating in its initial $400M public offering. Yagan cofounded OkCupid in 2003 and it was acquired by Match Inc. for $90 million in 2011. Earlier, he founded SparkNotes, which he sold to Barnes & Noble Inc. SparkNotes transaction was reported to be $30M. Yagan cofounded Excelerate Labs (now TechStars Chicago), a startup accelerator, and founded Corazon Capital, an early stage fund.

Sam Yagan is currently the CEO of ShopRunner which has raised over $100M from the likes of Alibaba Group or August Capital. Previously, he served as CEO of The Match Group and led it through a period of growth culminating in its initial $400M public offering. Yagan cofounded OkCupid in 2003 and it was acquired by Match Inc. for $90 million in 2011. Earlier, he founded SparkNotes, which he sold to Barnes & Noble Inc. SparkNotes transaction was reported to be $30M. Yagan cofounded Excelerate Labs (now TechStars Chicago), a startup accelerator, and founded Corazon Capital, an early stage fund.

On this episode of Contrary Radio, we cover how Sam started SparkNotes in college and OkCupid in business school, making the decision to sell his company, and transitioning from a “super math nerd” to an effective leader and communicator.

ShopRunner chief executive Sam Yagan conquered the online dating world. Can he conquer the e-commerceworld, too? Hot off the heels of its first profitable year, ShopRunner is announcing its first infusion of venture funding under Yagan, an acquisition of the shopping app Spring and, sources tell TechCrunch, it's readying a major overhaul to its mobile app, signaling what could be a new era for the company.

Sam Yagan knows he’s been lucky. He tells us that one of the luckiest moments of his life was meeting his college roommates. Together, they built a study guide website called SparkNotes. Then, they built an online dating empire. They started the site OKCupid while Yagan was getting his MBA at Stanford. Yagan is now the CEO of ShopRunner, but he’s best known for his 7-year tenure as the head of the Match Group, which includes OkCupid, Match.com, and Tinder. He says it was his Syrian immigrant parents who inspired his drive to be an entrepreneur.

There's the killer idea. The dynamic team. The seed round. Great founders today -- the ones who create high-growth, scalable businesses -- understand that these and other elements are indispensable in transforming a startup into today’s unicorn company. But before any of that has an impact, there is one thing that every successful business must find: perfect product-market fit. In "The Only Thing That Matters: Getting Your Startup to Product-Market Fit," we sit down with hall of fame-level entrepreneurs who discussing the insights that allowed them to achieve product-market fit. In Episode 9, host Pat Ryan talks with serial entrepreneur Sam Yagan, who founded SparkNotes, eDonkey, OkCupid, and Excelerate Labs.

Sam Yagan holds quite the entrepreneurial resume. During his college years, he co-founded SparkNotes, which sold for $30 million to Barnes & Noble just one year later. He then co-founded a little dating site called OKCupid and from there went on to run Match.com. He's currently the CEO of ShopRunner, a members only online shopping site with more than 4 million members, and runs the venture capital firm, Corazon Capital. As a regular advisor to Monica, Sam is never short on game-changing advice. Listen in today as he reveals insider tips on how to pick the right investor and the number one thing you should do after you raise your first round of capital. He also reveals the number one book he swears by that completely changed the way he looks at hiring employees (and what to do when a hire doesn't go well) and gives invaluable insight into how to maintain culture as you scale. “Understanding what mountain you have to climb to sustain your business and raise more capital is critically important.” - Sam Yagan Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.MonicaandAndy.blog/04

In the early days of OKCupid, co-founder Sam Yagan tried to get reporters to write about his company. When they balked, he cut out the middleman, and developed a data-driven content marketing strategy that had the company regularly featured on national news media. Follow Founder Collective on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcollective Subscribe to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/cwitnewsletter Please rate and review the show on iTunes!

Today we’re going to talk to Sam Yagan, the CEO of the newly-public Match Group. Match is a dating conglomerate that combines Match, OkCupid, Tinder, and Plenty of Fish under one banner. The company just went public raising over $400 Million dollars on the back of over a billion Tinder swipes. In this episode we’ll learn how to handle negative PR better than a bad breakup, how to learn to love churn, and why founding a dating startup is harder than dating itself. Follow Founder Collective on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcollective Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://bit.ly/cwitnewsletter Please rate and review the show on iTunes! Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/1lnhEMT

Match.com CEO Sam Yagan manages workers in offices in Dallas, Vancouver, and Paris—the secret? Video. High quality video, along with a fair amount of flying, are the keys to success. Follow Founder Collective on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcollective Subscribe to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/cwitnewsletter Please rate and review the show on iTunes!

An important thing for founders to remember when they take investment, and add people to their board, is that they're in effect hiring their own boss. Match.com CEO Sam Yagan shares some advice on how not to get fired from your own company. Follow Founder Collective on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcollective Subscribe to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/cwitnewsletter Please rate and review the show on iTunes!

Prior to OKCupid Sam Yagan sold SparkNotes in a multimillion dollar deal. By age 25, he was garnering national coverage as the president of eDonkey, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network with more than 2 million users. This time, he is making a foray into the world of online dating. To compete against such established players as eHarmony and Match .com, which charge fees to customers, OkCupid's gimmick is simple: It's free. (The firm makes money by selling advertising on the site). The site is designed to be a social environment that allows users to create their own quizzes with individualized, pinpoint questions like "How much of a Red Sox fan are you?" or "If you were a 'Lost' character, which one would you be?" OkCupid boasts more than 420,000 "active users," defined as users who have logged on in the past eight weeks. There are 40,000 active users in the Boston area, according to Yagan. Now, Yagan is hoping that lightning will strike a second time. When they built SparkNotes as a free online site, he and his partners capitalized on what they saw as a weakness in a big rival, Cliffs- Notes. They concluded, Yagan says, "If you put free and better together, you can build something powerful." He sees OkCupid as another test of that proposition. Feed Claim Codes Below pca-f51e03a320c3330e95fb036835cc7c72 odeo/e129149a70aa7fdb