Grindr plans a move to Loop office tower, setting up global engineering hub

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Grindr, the LGBTQ+ dating app, will open its largest global engineering hub in the Loop and plans to hire more software engineers and developers.

The office at 230 W. Monroe St. spans 8,000 square feet and will be finished in August. It will initially house more than 50 employees and will expand as the team grows. It currently has about 30 workers at WeWork's West Loop co-working space.

Real estate firm Menashe Properties bought the 29-story office building last fall for $45 million, in a bet on the revival of downtown Chicago as office vacancies still remain high. CEO Jordan Menashe told the Sun-Times in October that he aspires to be a "first mover" for tenants looking to expand or relocate to the neighborhood.

Grindr, headquartered in Los Angeles, said Thursday that a majority of its engineers were already located in Chicago, with additional colleagues based out of its Bay Area office.

“Having worked a majority of my career in Chicago, I know what tremendous quality of life benefits the city and surrounding areas have to offer,” Joel Keating, senior vice president of engineering and head of Grindr’s Chicago office, said in a news release. “With the expansion to our new space I am really excited to tap into the rich talent pool right here in our own community."

The company said it chose Chicago for its "growing technology ecosystem.” The new office will serve as the primary base for all of its engineers, as well as a key recruitment hub as the company expands.

The platform is hiring roles focused on Android, iOS, Java/Kotlin, full stack, data engineering, cloud engineering and engineering management.

It's the largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans and queer people with more than 13.5 million monthly active users, according to the company. The self-described “Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket” is available in 190 countries and territories.

“We anticipate that Grindr's expansion will not only bolster our city's tech sector but also contribute to our ongoing efforts to foster a vibrant and inclusive business environment," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release.

Grindr's pending move is part of a larger transformation of the area. This month, construction started on the $280 million renovation of the James R. Thompson Center that will become Google’s Chicago headquarters and home to 2,000 employees.

In April, the Chicago Loop Alliance released a report saying the average weekend foot traffic exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. But the retail vacancy rate was a record-high 30%.