Swiped

You desperately need me back in there? Okay.

Sorry. I'm on my way.

Hey, lady.

Shit.

I'm launching a new company which utilizes mobile technology

to connect volunteers with orphanages throughou--

I'll stop you there.

Our firm already gave to some green energy thing this year.

But I, uh… I'd take your number.

Shit.

-These orphanages really-- -Yeah.

You know, I'm sort of like an anarchist libertarian

so I kind of let the free market

take care of, like, whatever you're going on about.

-Okay. Thanks. Bye. -You microdose?

-Hi. I'm-- -Probably shouldn't stand there.

Let's disrupt the way the world drinks juice!

We got a new flavor! Let's hear it for Mountain Berry Blast!

To connect volunteers with orphanages--

Oh. I'm-I'm sorry. I thought…

Oh, no. (stammers) Why are you sorry?

Typically, at these startups,

they only invite industry people, so 500 guys, three women.

So they hire a bunch of hot girls to even the numbers.

-(chuckles) -Ma'am.

Yes, please. God, get me out of here.

-Hi. -Ticket?

Twenty bucks? (exhales sharply)

-No, it's uh-- -I'm not in the mood.

You're not Megan Conway.

Your thingy.

Yeah. Megan's, like, a foot shorter

and would, uh, definitely have a drink in each hand at an open bar.

-Guilty. (chuckles) -Ah.

I'm Sean Rad.

-Hi. -I mean it says it right here,

but I think we've established the lanyards are not to be trusted.

Well, if you were using an alias,

I'd hope you go with something less fake sounding than Sean Rad.

Sounds like a rollerblading super spy.

Okay. Well, what are you doing here? What are you, looking for free juice?

No. I… The plan was to make connections for work,

but, uh, I'm new to LA.

I guess I'm not used to the charm of the tech crowd.

Uh-huh.

Well, they're taking forever with the cars

and you've got the CEO of the industry's hottest new startup

trapped beside you, so why don't you tell me your deal?

-You? -Yeah.

Okay. Yeah. All right.

Um… (sighs)

My name's Whitney Wolfe.

Also sounds very made-up, but continue.

Born and raised in Salt Lake City.

I majored in international studies at SMU.

I-I-I graduated summa cum laude.

Yeah. I wouldn't admit that here.

These… These people,

they prefer the myth of the genius college dropout.

So just, like, say that you founded a startup in your dorm room.

I did found a startup in my dorm room.

Junior year.

After the BP oil spill, I created a company that sold bamboo tote bags

to raise money for the cleanup effort.

Then I graduated,

and I've spent the past six months volunteering at an orphanage in Thailand.

Uh, but I realized that the system could be working way more efficiently.

So I'm raising capital to launch an app that connects orphanages with volunteers--

And this is what you wanna dedicate your life to?

Maybe.

Uh, my whole life? Yeah. I don't know.

-I mean, I have so many ideas. -Okay.

Gonna tell you right now, you need a better answer than that.

Well, I know what I don't wanna do.

I don't wanna sell people things they don't need.

I don't want to have a job that I have to pretend is interesting

when I tell my friends.

And I don't wanna do something that I have to tell myself has value

when actually it kind of doesn't.

Okay. Um, stop by Hatch Labs.

It's my incubator. Any time.

I know everybody. So I can make some investor intros.

-Sup, man? -(chuckles)

Oh. It's okay.

Hi. It only opens from the outside. It's… (chuckles)

Come on, Kia.

-Hi. (chuckles) -Hi.

-You said any time. -I did. I did.

Uh, less than 12 hours later is technically any time.

I can come back if you want.

Um…

Sorry. I'm late to pitch Cardify to Outback Steakhouse.

They're, uh, actually a really big deal.

Which is why I'm willing to go to godforsaken Burbank.

Why don't come with me so I'm not outnumbered.

I don't even know what Cardify does.

It's fine. Just smile and act like everything I'm saying is genius.

Which, uh, won't be hard 'cause it is.

Oh. Um… Oh.

And so 75% of the people who walk out your doors

do not become repeat customers? Guys.

I mean, this is a problem. Cardify is the solution.

Cardify is a loyalty rewards app that is redefining loyalty from the ground up.

Rewards instantly transfer to your account.

Program becomes a game

that your customers will wanna keep coming back to play.

Okay.

-Maybe they're working towards… -Thank you.

…20 loyalty points for a free bloomin' onion.

Maybe they're working towards 10,000 points

to share an Outback steak with, uh… with Jay Leno.

I love Leno. We can get Jay Leno?

Can we…

Whitney, can we get Leno?

-(scoffs) I've got him on speed dial. -(chuckles)

Whoa. I prefer that Kate Upton, myself.

-(chuckles) -(chuckles) Easy, Ed.

What? She's very talented.

Well… Then you know what? Then I say we get Upton.

The point is when you can track loyalty points over years,

you can get creative with big-ticket rewards.

I don't know.

Yeah. It just sounds like a whole lot more work.

Ed. (clears throat)

Think of it this way: imagine you're taking me out to dinner…

Oh! That's an option?

When the check comes,

do you really wanna pull out an old, tattered punch card?

I do not.

-Well, with, uh, Cardify… -Cardify.

…it's all invisible, you know?

You are smooth, sophisticated.

You get the rewards and a second date.

I like it.

What the hell. Let's give it a try in a few markets

and see if it catches on.

-You're hired. -(chuckles)

I'm serious. I want you to join the team.

I'm flattered. But you know I can't just give up on my--

Because you're trying to change the world?

Let me ask you. Your BP oil spill project.

How much did those bamboo tote bags actually end up raising?

Well, we did okay for such a small co--

Or the orphanage in Thailand?

You feel like you made a real lasting change in the region?

-Well, no. Which is exactly why-- -Look. Look.

I know you wanna make the world a better place.

But I also know that those who actually affect change

do it from a place of power and influence.

Bill Gates cured polio or malaria or something, but you know what he did first?

He made a hundred billion dollars.

Hmm. You know, men run 92% of tech.

So Bill's chances were a little better than mine.

Half of CEOs in nonprofit are female.

I prefer those odds even if I have to start small.

Okay. Well, at Cardify you'd be starting big.

You'd be our full-fledged marketing director.

And you'd start tomorrow.

You know Cardify is basically dead, right?

Wait. (chuckles) Wh… What?

General rule of thumb:

a startup has to reach one million users in the first year

to be considered a success.

We're ten months in, and we're at about 18,000 users.

Jesus. I literally just signed my start paperwork.

Oh. Cardify's just one of our ventures. Technically, we all work for Hatch Labs.

-Right. Right. -(coworker) Tisha and, uh, Whitney.

Time for the All Hands meeting.

Right. So we're all working on a number of startups

in hopes that one of them will stick, right?

So we have this online auction thingy that makes bidding feel like a game.

And a car rental app that makes renting a car feel like a game.

And an online dating app

-that makes searching for dates-- -Feel like a game.

We count how many times Sean says the word "gamify" during the week

and then put that many drinks on the company card on Friday.

All right, everybody. Today's gonna be quick.

Um, first I'd like to introduce you

to our official marketing director, Whitney Wolfe.

Hi. How are you? (chuckles) Hi.

Really looking forward to getting to know you all.

Hopefully you still wanna work here after that.

Um, so you should all have the latest Cardify numbers in front of you.

Sean, we wanna talk about Match Box.

-Cardify is the lead right now. -Yeah, but look.

We made a logo.

I like the part about it being a game.

I'm still not sold on the name Match Box though.

Okay. Well, we have a couple other options.

We also, uh… We're playing around with Court.

Like you're courting someone. Courtship.

Courtship? Is this… Are we in a Jane Austen novel?

Come on. It's gotta be sexy.

-I actually spent the weekend-- -We really like Hook.

You know, like hooking up but also, you're fishing for a partner.

Trying to catch them on your… (whistles) hook.

-Hook is an app for serial killers. -(coworkers chuckle)

Um, I still like Canoodle.

-I've got Flirt… -Match Stick was one.

But it's still got the match.