Shilpa Rao
In short: Shilpa Rao is Vice President of Business Development at Tinder, the dating app owned by Match Group. Tinder named her in its UK press release for the launch of its Events tab in London, Manchester and Birmingham on 11 November 2026. Before Tinder she worked at Spotify, where she led podcast business affairs and contract operations. Her role covers partnerships.
Key facts
| Role | VP, Business Development |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Tinder |
| Job title and employer | VP of Business Development, Tinder [Tinder Events Launches in the UK, 11 November 2026] |
| Public statement | Quoted in Tinder's press release on the UK launch of Events in London, Manchester and Birmingham, explaining why those cities were chosen first [Tinder Events Launches in the UK, 11 November 2026] |
| Previous role | Led Spotify's podcast business affairs and contract operations team, per Variety [Spotify Podcast Chief Sahar Elhabashi Is Leaving the Company, 2024] |
| Move to Tinder | A LinkedIn post by Shilpa Rao Gharavi says she joined Tinder to build a business development group after seven years at Spotify (identity match to the Tinder executive is inferred, not confirmed by Tinder) [Lauren Smith LinkedIn activity feed showing the post] |
Biography
Shilpa Rao is VP of Business Development at Tinder. Tinder's UK newsroom quoted her in its announcement of the Events tab launch in London, Manchester and Birmingham, which went live on 11 November 2026. In that statement she said Events gives members a reason to be at a place, people to go with and a way to meet someone new. She also explained that the three cities were chosen as the starting point.
Her earlier career was at Spotify. Variety reported in 2024 that she would continue leading Spotify's podcast business affairs and contract operations team. In a LinkedIn post that appears in other users' activity feeds, a Shilpa Rao Gharavi writes that she left Spotify after seven years in the podcast business and joined Tinder to build a business development group. The post names the same employer and function, but Tinder's press release does not confirm that these are the same person, and the exact start date at Tinder is not confirmed by a primary source.
For the dating industry, her role matters because business development at Tinder covers partnerships, and Events relies on independent organisers who create, run and ticket the events while Tinder helps members find them.
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Questions about Shilpa Rao
What is Shilpa Rao's role at Tinder?
Tinder's UK newsroom describes her as VP of Business Development.
Why was Shilpa Rao in the news?
She was quoted in Tinder's press release for the UK launch of its Events tab on 11 November 2026 in London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Where did Shilpa Rao work before Tinder?
Variety reported in 2024 that she led Spotify's podcast business affairs and contract operations team. A LinkedIn post attributed to Shilpa Rao Gharavi says she moved from Spotify to Tinder.
Who is Shilpa Rao?
Shilpa Rao is Vice President of Business Development at Tinder, the dating app owned by Match Group. Tinder named her in its UK press release for the launch of its Events tab in London, Manchester and Birmingham on 11 November 2026.
What is Shilpa Rao's current role?
Shilpa Rao is VP, Business Development at Tinder.