George Arison, the company’s Chief Executive, told The Wall Street Journal that he has “hired or had a professional relationship with several people I’ve met on the app over the years”.
“We encourage people to network on Grindr,” he continued.
The company confirmed to Insider that about 25 per cent of Grindr’s users are there to network, with this ranging from young professionals to seasoned executives.
“We know people use our app to meet new people in their area and in new towns, and we also have plenty of anecdotal evidence of people making connections that lead to professional opportunities like jobs,” a spokesperson said.
READ MORE: Grindr Unwrapped: Which countries have the most top, bottom and vers users?
Grindr’s features are typically geared towards finding a hook-up, but those on the app also have the option of indicating whether or not they are looking for “networking” opportunities.
Omaralexis Ochoa, a 26-year-old content creator who uses Grindr, told Insider that he thinks there has “always been kind of a joke in the gay community about, quote-unquote, networking on Grindr”.
Other dating apps such as Tinder advise users to “make personal connections, not biz ones” in its community guidelines.
Hinge urges users to “represent themselves authentically” as the app exists to make “meaningful connections”.