Jeff Bonforte
In short: Jeff Bonforte is a US technology executive and investor who was chief executive of Grindr, the LGBTQ social and dating app, from June 2020 until the October 2022 handover to George Arison. He previously ran Xobni and held senior roles at Yahoo. Crunchbase lists him as Managing Partner at Catapult Capital, based in San Francisco.
Key facts
| Role | Former CEO of Grindr; Managing Partner, Catapult Capital |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Catapult Capital |
| Based in | United States |
| Former role | CEO of Grindr from June 2020 to September 2022 (Crunchbase dates) [Jeff Bonforte - Crunchbase Person Profile, September 2022] |
| Transition | Grindr announced that Bonforte and CFO Gary Hsueh would step down and move to advisory roles, with George Arison named CEO effective 19 October 2022 [Grindr Appoints George Arison as Chief Executive Officer and, 13 September 2022] |
| Grindr acquisition | Bonforte described himself as part of the small team that acquired Grindr in June 2020 [Grindr Appoints New CEO Ahead of Plans to Go Public, 13 September 2022] |
| Previous role | CEO of Xobni from February 2008 to June 2013 [Jeff Bonforte - Crunchbase Person Profile, June 2013] |
| Yahoo | Senior vice president of communications products at Yahoo after Yahoo bought Xobni in July 2013 [Jeff Bonforte - Wikiwand, July 2013] |
| Earlier career | President of Gizmo5; founder and CEO of i-drive.com from December 1997 to 2001 [Jeff Bonforte - Speakerpedia] |
| Current role (per Crunchbase) | Managing Partner at Catapult Capital since January 2019; location San Francisco [Jeff Bonforte - Crunchbase Person Profile] |
Biography
Jeff Bonforte is an American technology executive who led Grindr as chief executive from June 2020 to October 2022. He was part of the small team that acquired Grindr in June 2020, a point he made in a company statement when his successor was announced. Crunchbase gives his start date as CEO as June 2020 and the end date as September 2022, while Grindr's own announcement set George Arison's start as CEO on 19 October 2022.
On 13 September 2022 Grindr said Bonforte and then CFO Gary Hsueh would step down and move into advisory roles. The change was described as a planned transition first announced with the company's SPAC transaction in May 2022, ahead of its public listing. Vanna Krantz was named CFO. DII's recent report on John North replacing Krantz as CFO places Bonforte in the line of earlier Grindr leaders.
Before Grindr, Bonforte became CEO of the email software company Xobni in February 2008, according to Crunchbase and Speakerpedia. Yahoo bought Xobni in July 2013, and he then became a senior vice president of communications products at Yahoo, covering products such as Mail and Messenger. Earlier he was president of Gizmo5 and founder and CEO of the online storage firm i-drive.com. Crunchbase lists him as Managing Partner at Catapult Capital, a position it dates from January 2019. This listing may not reflect his current activities.
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Questions about Jeff Bonforte
Who is Jeff Bonforte?
He is a US technology executive and investor who was CEO of Grindr from June 2020 and earlier led Xobni and held senior roles at Yahoo.
Is Jeff Bonforte still CEO of Grindr?
No. Grindr announced in September 2022 that he would step down and move to an advisory role, with George Arison taking over as CEO on 19 October 2022.
What did Jeff Bonforte do before Grindr?
He was CEO of Xobni from February 2008, which Yahoo bought in July 2013, and then a senior vice president at Yahoo. Earlier he was president of Gizmo5 and founder of i-drive.com.
What is Jeff Bonforte's current role?
Jeff Bonforte is Former CEO of Grindr; Managing Partner, Catapult Capital at Catapult Capital.
Also known as: Jeff C. Bonforte, Jeffrey Bonforte.