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Ankur Jain

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Ankur Jain
Jain at 2015 Web Summit
Born1990 (age 33–34)
Bellevue, Washington, US
EducationWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO of Bilt Rewards
Employers
Spouse(s)Erika Hammond (26 April, 2024)
FatherNaveen Jain
Websiteankurjain.net

Ankur Jain (born c. 1990)[1] is an American entrepreneur and investor who is the founder and CEO of Bilt Rewards, a loyalty company that rewards consumers on rent payments and neighborhood spend.[2] As of 2024, Forbes estimates his net worth at US$1.2 billion.[3]

Previously, he founded an investment firm, Kairos,[4][5][6][7] and a technology company, Humin.[8] After the acquisition of Humin, Jain also served as VP of Product at Tinder.[9]

Early life

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Ankur Jain was born in Bellevue, Washington, part of the Seattle metropolitan area.[10][11] He grew up in Redmond, Washington and his parents are Anu and Naveen Jain, both entrepreneurs in the technology industry.[5] By age 11, he had created the website MyOnlineQuiz.com.[12]

Jain attended Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[12][13]

Career

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In 2008, Jain founded the Kairos Society, an incubator for young entrepreneurs.[12][13] Through Kairos, Jain identified entrepreneurs coming out of universities and worked with them to launch new ventures tackling issues in areas like healthcare, clean water, global transportation, and education. As of May 2017, companies coming out of the Kairos program have gone on to raise a total of more than $600 million and have a combined value of more than $3 billion.[10] Kairos Society was also named a partner in President Barack Obama's Startup America Partnership.[12]

In 2012, Jain left to become the founder and CEO of technology company, Humin.[5][14] The San-Francisco-based startup developed a new address book that organized contacts by contextual cues like where people met, where contacts live, and what they do.[15][16] Jain raised $15 million for Humin before the company was acquired by Tinder in 2016.[10]

Following the acquisition,[17] Jain stayed on as vice president of product at Tinder.[17][9][14] He is rumored to be behind the development of Tinder Select, a version of Tinder for famous celebrities and public figures.[18]

Jain left Tinder in May 2017 to rejoin Kairos and launch a new venture fund focused on building solutions to issues such as student debt, affordable housing, child care, and worker retention.[19] Since the fund’s announcement, Jain has helped launch a company called Rhino to replace security deposits with a low monthly fee.[20] He has also partnered with UK-based startup, Cera, to bring home care to the elderly.[7][21]

Jain founded Bilt Rewards out of Kairos in 2021.[22]

Recognition

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In 2017, Jain was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.[23] He was called “The Best Connected 21-year-old-in the World” by Inc.[1] and named to the 30 under 30 list by Forbes,[24] as well as similar lists by Inc.[25] and The Christian Science Monitor.[26]

Personal life

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In April 2024, Jain married former WWE wrestler Erika Hammond in Egypt.[27][28]

References

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  1. ^ a b Helm, Burt (June 27, 2011). "Meet Ankur Jain, the Best-Connected 21-Year-Old in the World". Inc.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Bilt, Startup Turning Rent Into Points, Valued at $1.5 Billion". Bloomberg.com. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  3. ^ "Ankur Jain". Forbes.
  4. ^ Schiller, Ben (2017-11-16). "What Do Dr. Oz, Bobbi Brown, And Vicente Fox Have In Common? Apparently This New Social Entrepreneurship Fund". Fast Company. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  5. ^ a b c Hempel, Jessi (2017-06-28). "The Master Networker Will Connect You Now". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  6. ^ Coonan, Clifford (June 13, 2016). "Young tech entrepreneur Ankur Jain is seeking to solve the world's biggest problems". The Irish Times. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Pilon, Mary (2018-08-23). "How Ankur Jain and Kairos Help Young Entrepreneurs Solve the Toughest Global Problems". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  8. ^ Mims, Christopher (2014-07-21). "Meet Your Digital Butler: a 'Social OS'". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  9. ^ a b Swisher, Kara (March 29, 2016). "As Expected, Tinder Buys Humin to Goose Better Relationships". Recode. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Wolfe, Alexandra (2017-05-19). "A Booster for Young Entrepreneurs". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  11. ^ Colarusso, Gabriella (2017-11-30). "Ankur Jain: "La Silicon Valley ha rimosso i bisogni veri"". pagina99 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  12. ^ a b c d Herrup, Katharine (2011-02-25). "Into the future with the Kairos Society". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  13. ^ a b Prior, Ryan (2017-05-03). "Inside Kairos Society, a network that could launch the next big startup". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  14. ^ a b Bertoni, Steven (2016-03-29). "Tinder Buys Humin In Push To Improve Its Dating Game". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  15. ^ McFarland, Matt (2014-01-20). "Humin: The app that uses context to enable better human connections". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  16. ^ Bell, Karissa (June 1, 2014). "First Look at Humin, the App That Wants to Take Over Your Phone". Mashable. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (March 29, 2016). "Why Tinder Swiped Right on This Deal". Inc.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  18. ^ McAlone, Nathan (May 19, 2017). "Tinder's VP of product is leaving the company". Business Insider. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  19. ^ Ha, Anthony (2017-03-09). "The Kairos Society, an organization for young entrepreneurs, has raised its own venture fund". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  20. ^ Michaels, Matthew (February 28, 2018). "A venture fund focused on middle-class problems is tackling a huge obstacle for millennial renters". Business Insider. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  21. ^ Henry, Zoë (November 16, 2017). "Kairos Commits $25 Million to Startups Addressing 'Real Problems'". Inc. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  22. ^ Crook, Jordan (2021-06-22). "A rewards program for your rent payments? Meet Bilt". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  23. ^ Gillett, Rachel (October 27, 2017). "These Americans are changing the world — and they're all under 40". Business Insider. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  24. ^ Bertoni, Steven (January 5, 2015). "Ankur Jain, 24, David Wyler, 29 - pg.14". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  25. ^ "Top Young Entrepreneurs of 2011: 30 Under 30". Inc. June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  26. ^ Eulich, Whitney (January 1, 2012). "Thirty ideas from people under 30: The Entrepreneurs: Ankur Jain: Solution broker". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  27. ^ "Inside a Billionaire CEO and Former WWE Diva's Epic Egyptian Wedding at the Pyramids: 'Once in a Lifetime Experience'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  28. ^ "All the Stunning Photos from Bilt Rewards CEO Ankur Jain's Wedding to Erika Hammond in Egypt (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
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