Grindr Announces Appointment of CEO George Arison as Chairman of the Board, and Equity Award to Continue Arison’s Compensation Arrangements Through Fall 2030

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grindr Inc. (NYSE: GRND), the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed George Arison, the company's Chief Executive Officer, to the additional role of Chairman of the Board, effective June 23. J. Michael Gearon, Jr., will continue to serve as Lead Independent Director.

The appointment comes at a time of growing momentum for Grindr. Since Arison joined the Company, it has delivered outstanding financial performance, advanced AI product innovation, and expanded its organizational capabilities. The recent addition of three new independent directors, and the continued leadership by independent directors of each of the Board’s four standing committees, reflect Grindr’s focus on corporate governance and long-term shareholder value creation, positioning the Company for its next phase of growth.

"George is a great founder and entrepreneur who has led Grindr through a true refounding. His vision for Grindr as the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket has transformed the company from an iconic product to a highly successful public company with an ambitious and inspiring mission, excellent execution, and a clear strategy for growth and value creation. Under his leadership, the company has more than doubled revenue since 2022, making Grindr one of the leading tech companies in revenue growth, EBITDA growth, and EBITDA margin," said Gearon. "The Board has deep trust in George’s leadership, including his relentless advocacy for Grindr and its shareholders, ability to foster open and constructive debate, respect for sound corporate governance, and deep connection to our users and employees. These qualities make him uniquely suited to serve as both CEO and Chairman. The Board is also excited to appoint Grindr’s first gay Chairman as a public company."

Arison has also established strong credibility with the investor community, effectively articulating Grindr’s strategy, performance, and long-term value proposition.

"Grindr has always been more than an app," said Arison. "It is among the most important platforms ever built for gay and bi men, and it is still in the early stages of what it can become. Over the last several years, we have successfully ‘refounded’ the company – strengthening the business; expanding our products; raising the bar on execution; and building toward an AI-first, community-powered platform for gay life. I am grateful for the Board’s confidence and remain excited to keep working with our ambitious team, our Board, and our shareholders to build Grindr with discipline, strong governance, and a long-term focus on serving our users and the global gay community."

In addition, on June 19 the Compensation Committee granted Arison a new equity award of 2,250,000 RSUs, in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement, as amended in November 2025, which extended his compensation arrangements in the role of CEO through October 2030. Per the terms of the agreement with Arison, issuance of the grant had been deferred and contingent upon stockholder approval of an increase in the number of shares available under the Company's equity incentive plan, which approval was obtained at the Company's 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on June 2.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, current expectations or projections concerning, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, prospects, growth, strategies, our ability to create long-term value for our shareholders and the markets in which we operate. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of terminology such as "anticipates," "approximately," "believes," "continues," "could," "estimates," "expects," "goal," "intends," "may," "outlook," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "should," "will," "would" or the negative version of these words or other comparable words or phrases. All such statements are inherently uncertain and speak only as of the date on which they are made, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of factors that could cause our future results to differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements, please see the section titled "Risk Factors" included under Part I, Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and any updates in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission thereafter.

About Grindr Inc.

With 15 million average monthly active users, Grindr has grown to become the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™, on a mission to make a world where the lives of our global community are free, equal, and just. Available in 190 countries and territories, Grindr is often the primary way for its users to connect, express themselves, and discover the world around them. Since 2015, Grindr for Equality has advanced human rights, health, and safety for millions of LGBTQ+ people in partnership with organizations in every region of the world. Grindr has offices in West Hollywood, the Bay Area, Chicago, and New York. The Grindr app is available on the App Store and Google Play.