Grindr went public 7 months ago. Here’s what’s happened since then

Just over half a year after Grindr’s debut, leadership of the dating and hook-up platform focused on LGBTQ+ men is settling into life as a public company and charting a roadmap for the future.

The stock initially surged after it went public through a merger with blank-check company Tiga in November, an event industry insiders said was a milestone for inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in finance. Shares, which now trade under the ticker GRND, are far from their first close at $36.50. For most of 2023, the stock has traded around $6 per share.

Since its Nov. 18 debut, Grindr has begun courting investors and making the necessary adjustments to be a public company, all the while making innovative plans for the future of the product. That journey has taken place amid a changing market with stocks rebounding off of 2022’s broad selloff.

It’s also taking place at a unique intersection between LGBTQ+ inclusion and the business world. Public companies such as Disney, Target and Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch Inbev have been criticized by a largely conservative base unhappy with actions aimed at inclusion of the community. This has also affected the performance of those stocks.

In the seven months since Grindr representatives rang the opening bell, CEO George Arison has shifted his focus to matters relevant to a public company, such as hiring specialists versus generalists and raising liquidity.

He and company leaders have been attending bank conferences, boosting the company’s profile among the Wall Street set. Last month, Grindr leadership was at an event hosted by JPMorgan in Boston. Arison has been surprised by the amount of interest from investors when attending these conferences, noting one in March that had back-to-back meetings from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

To be sure, not all investors who meet with management wind up buying in. Arison noted that some banks have not been welcoming at conventions; he…