Sam Yagan
In short: Sam Yagan is a co-founder of OkCupid, the dating site sold to Match Group in 2011, and later served as CEO of Match Group for three years. He co-founded the venture firm Corazon Capital in 2014. In 2026 he called AI matchmaking a potential 'Tinder moment' for dating.
Key facts
| Role | Co-founder and Managing Director |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Corazon Capital |
| Based in | United States |
| Founder | Co-founded OkCupid in 2003 with Chris Coyne, Max Krohn and Christian Rudder [Wikipedia, 2003] |
| Acquisition | Led the sale of OkCupid to Match Group, then an IAC subsidiary, for $50 million in 2011 [Wikipedia, 2011] |
| Role | Served as CEO of Match Group for three years, leaving at the end of 2015 and joining its public board as vice chairman [Wikipedia, 2015] |
| Role | Co-founder and managing director of Corazon Capital, founded in 2014 [Wikipedia, 2014] |
| Education | Studied applied mathematics and economics at Harvard University and holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business [Wikipedia] |
| Fact | Called AI-driven matchmaking a potential 'Tinder moment' for dating, as reported by DII [Dating Industry Insights, January 2026] |
Biography
Sam Yagan is an American entrepreneur and investor who co-founded OkCupid in 2003 with Chris Coyne, Max Krohn and Christian Rudder. He studied applied mathematics and economics at Harvard University and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Before OkCupid, he co-founded SparkNotes (TheSpark.com) in 1999 and was CEO of MetaMachine, the company behind the eDonkey file-sharing network. In 2011 OkCupid was sold to Match Group, then an IAC subsidiary, for $50 million. Yagan went on to serve as CEO of Match Group for three years, a period that included the launch of Tinder. He left at the end of 2015 and joined the public company's board as vice chairman.
He co-founded the start-up programme Excelerate Labs in 2009, which merged with Techstars in 2013, and co-founded the venture firm Corazon Capital in 2014, where he is listed as co-founder and managing director. From 2016 he was CEO of ShopRunner, which was sold to FedEx in December 2020.
In January 2026 Dating Industry Insights reported that Yagan had described AI-driven, concierge-style matchmaking as a potential 'Tinder moment', comparable to the platform shift that mobile brought to desktop dating sites.
Career
- Vice chairman, Match Group (board) (2015 to present)
- Co-founder and managing director, Corazon Capital (2014 to present)
- Co-founder, Excelerate Labs (2009 to present)
- CEO, ShopRunner (2016 to 2020)
- CEO, Match Group ( to 2015)
- Co-founder, OkCupid (2003 to 2011)
Also mentioned in
Questions about Sam Yagan
Who is Sam Yagan?
Sam Yagan is a co-founder of OkCupid, a former CEO of Match Group and a co-founder of Corazon Capital.
What did Sam Yagan say about AI and dating?
DII reported in January 2026 that he called AI matchmaking a potential 'Tinder moment'.
What is Sam Yagan's current role?
Sam Yagan is Co-founder and Managing Director at Corazon Capital.