Andrew Conru Andrew Conru Andrew Conru

Andrew Conru

I am an engineer, entrepreneur, amateur artist, and philanthropist driven by a passion for helping others and making a positive impact on the world. My journey began on a small farm in northern Indiana, where I learned the value of hard work, self-reliance, and serving my community. These early experiences shaped my character and instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility to use my skills and resources for the greater good.

In the early 1990s, I relocated to the Bay Area to pursue my Ph.D. at Stanford University. By a stroke of serendipity, I arrived just as the World Wide Web was emerging, putting me in the right place at the right time to pioneer groundbreaking technologies like online shopping carts, centralized ad banner management, online matchmaking, and real-time website customization. My goal was never to seek fame or fortune, but rather to create tools that would help people connect, find love, and improve their lives.

This service-oriented mindset led me to launch the first online dating site in 1994. In 1996, I founded the Friend Finder Network, a dating social network that has had over 700 million registered members worldwide. While the company has seen tremendous success, I measure its true value not in dollars, but in the countless relationships, marriages, and overall good times it has helped to create. In 2007, when I made the difficult decision to sell the company due to burnout and stress, I felt a profound sense of regret, knowing that I could no longer ensure that it would continue to prioritize the needs of its members. However, in 2021, I reacquire the company, driven by a renewed commitment to transforming it into an ethical, customer-centric platform that puts user experience first. However, due to a legal dispute with its current CEO, the transformation is on hold.

Throughout my career, I have launched around a dozen companies, each guided by the principle of creating value for others. While some have achieved notable success, I view these accomplishments primarily as byproducts of my work ethic, drive, and passion for helping people. My ultimate goal is not to accumulate wealth or accolades, but to leave a lasting, positive impact on the world.

This same ethos extends to my philanthropic endeavors. Through my non-profit organizations, I focus on initiatives related to education, free speech, environmental conservation, culture, and the arts. I firmly believe that everyone deserves access to quality education, a clean environment, and the freedom to express themselves creatively. By supporting these causes, I hope to empower individuals and communities to reach their full potential and create a more just, sustainable, and vibrant world.

One of my current passions is promoting art education in Seattle through a number of local charities as well as a new downtown art venue. I believe that art has immense therapeutic value in today's stressful world, providing a means for self-expression, healing, and connection.

Personally, I enjoy oil painting, antique road trips, studying history, and watching YouTube videos at insanely high speeds. I still enjoy coding, even after after writing over a million lines of it (60+ books worth) so far.

If you would like to collaborate on a project or share your own vision for making the world a better place, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via email at abconru AT yahoo.com or on Twitter @AndrewConru. Together, we can work towards building a brighter, more compassionate future for all.