Elie Seidman
Elie Seidman is an entrepreneur, investor and venture partner at Shine CapitalShine CapitalShine Capital is a U.S. early-stage venture-capital firm founded in 2020 by Mo Koyfman, with offices in New York and San Francisco. It invests at company formation, seed and Series A stages and provides follow-on capital, across areas including technology, consumer businesses and finance.Open the full entry. He co-founded Epana and Oyster and served as CEO of OkCupid and Tinder. His career spans consumer internet businesses, financial services and venture investing.
Contents14 sections
Key facts
2008Founding Oyster
In his founding account, Seidman traced Oyster to a 2007 Alaska trip that exposed a gap between hotel advertising and actual experience. He and his team founded the business in spring 2008, basing reviews on hotel stays, original photography and checks of facilities.[1]
October 15, 2013TripAdvisor Acquires Oyster
TripAdvisor announced its acquisition of Oyster.com, bringing it into Smarter Travel Media. Oyster continued operating in New York; financial terms were not disclosed.[2]
June 2, 2016Appointed OkCupid CEO
Match GroupMatch GroupMatch Group is a U.S. publicly traded online-dating company whose brands include Tinder, Hinge, Match and OkCupid. It developed from IAC’s dating businesses and completed its separation in 2020. Subscriptions and à-la-carte purchases are its principal revenue sources; its shares trade on Nasdaq under MTCH.Open the full entry announced Seidman’s appointment as OkCupid CEO with responsibility for growing the business. His predecessor, Michael Maxim, moved into an advisory role.[3]
November 15, 2017Named Tinder CEO
Match Group announced that Seidman would move from OkCupid to become Tinder CEO, reporting to incoming group CEO Mandy Ginsberg. The announcement specified that the management changes would take effect by January 1, 2018.[4]
January 23, 2020Introducing Safety Features
Tinder announced integration with emergency-assistance service Noonlight, along with photo verification and an in-app Safety Center. Seidman emphasized user safety as a product priority. The announcement described features and intentions, rather than evidence that risks had been eliminated.[5]
June 10, 2020Discussing Online Connection During the Pandemic
At a media roundtable, Seidman said the pandemic was accelerating a shift from matching for offline meetings toward shared online experiences. He discussed video, interactive content and features connecting users across locations.[6]
August 3, 2020Tinder Leadership Transition
Tinder announced that Jim Lanzone would take over as CEO on August 3, succeeding Seidman, who was stepping down.[7]
2021Becoming a Shine Capital Advisor
Shine Capital reported that Seidman had served as its senior advisor since 2021.[8]
February 4, 2026Becoming a Shine Capital Venture Partner
Shine Capital announced Seidman’s appointment as a venture partner, covering investments, board work and strategic support for founders.[8]
September 24, 2026Rivet Identifies His Role
Rivet identified Seidman as an early investor and product-development advisor.[9]
Education and Earlier Career
Seidman holds a BSE in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.[4]
He co-founded telecommunications and remittance business Epana and served as its CEO. Before joining OkCupid, he also held the roles of chief operating officer at BillMo and chief revenue officer at BorrowersFirst.[3]
Advisory and Other Executive Roles
Cove Hill Partners lists Seidman on its external Executive Advisory Board and identifies him as a former interim CEO of FastGrowingTrees.[10]
His Shine Capital biography also lists membership of Tel Aviv University’s Board of Governors.[11]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Shine Capital: Official website: https://www.shine.vc/ (opens in a new window).[11]
Elie Seidman: X: https://x.com/elieseid (opens in a new window).[12]
Elie Seidman: LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elieseidman/ (opens in a new window).[13]
Sources
- Welcome to Oyster Hotel Reviews (opens in a new window)
- TripAdvisor Acquires Oyster.com (opens in a new window)
- Elie Seidman Joins Match Group as Chief Executive Officer of OkCupid (opens in a new window)
- Match Group Announces Executive Management Appointments (opens in a new window)
- Tinder Introduces Safety Updates (opens in a new window)
- Tinder, Dating and the Coronavirus Pandemic (opens in a new window)
- Jim Lanzone Named Chief Executive Officer of Tinder (opens in a new window)
- ELIE SEIDMAN JOINS SHINE CAPITAL AS VENTURE PARTNER (opens in a new window)
- Rivet launches nationwide introducing a new approach to dating: Social Matching (opens in a new window)
- Cove Hill Partners — Team (opens in a new window)
- Shine Capital — Team (opens in a new window)
- Elie Seidman (@elieseid) — X (opens in a new window)
- Elie Seidman — LinkedIn (opens in a new window)