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. Two years later, I founded Friend Finder Networks, a dating social network that has seen over 700 million registered members worldwide. While the company achieved significant success, I've always measured its true value in the relationships it has facilitated. In 2007, due to burnout and stress, I made the difficult decision to sell the company. However, my passion for the platform's potential never faded. In 2021, driven by a vision to transform FFN into an even more ethical, customer-centric platform, I began the process of reacquiring the company. After navigating some legal challenges, I'm pleased to share that as of July 2024, I have regained majority ownership of FFN. This new chapter allows me to fully focus on enhancing the user experience, leveraging AI, and offering affordable options to make meaningful connections more accessible than ever.
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 the Conru Foundation, I focus on initiatives related to education, free speech, environmental conservation, and the arts. Additionally, the Conru Art Foundation is dedicated to elevating Seattle as a premier art city by promoting art education through various local charities and a new downtown art venue.
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 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.