Sam Ahn
Ahn Sang-il | |
|---|---|
안상일 | |
| Born | 1981 |
| Education | Seoul National University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014– |
Ahn Sang-il (Korean: 안상일; born 1981), known also as Samuel Ahn, is a South Korean businessman and investor.[1] He is founder and former CEO of Hyperconnect, the developer of Azar, which was acquired by Match Group in 2021 for $1.7 billion.[2] He is a venture partner at Altos Ventures.
Early life and education
[edit]Ahn was born in South Korea. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in materials engineering.[1] During college, he attempted multiple business ventures before starting Hyperconnect in 2014.[3]
Career
[edit]In 2014, Ahn founded Hyperconnect with Jung Kang-sik, a friend from Seoul National University's Student Ventures Club, and Eddie Yong (Yong Hyeon-taek). The company developed the video chat platform Azar, and within one month of release had generated 2.3 million won in revenue.[4]
By 2019, Azar had crossed 400 million downloads. Ahn stepped down as CEO in 2023 and became Chief Innovation Officer of Match Group's Asia division.[5][6]
In 2021, Hyperconnect was acquired by Match Group in for $1.73 billion.[2]
In 2025, Ahn Joined Silicon Valley-based Altos Ventures as a partner.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 이정은 (2018-10-08). "안상일, 돈 받는 영상채팅앱 '아자르'로 하이퍼커넥트 급성장". 비즈니스포스트 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- 1 2 Crichton, Danny (2021-02-10). "Dating juggernaut Match buys Seoul-based Hyperconnect for $1.73B, its biggest acquisition ever". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
- ↑ Young-jin, Choi (2019-01-26). "[2030 POWER LEADER 30 | IT & Startup] 안상일(37) 하이퍼커넥트 대표". Forbes Korea. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ↑ "Success depends on having one great idea". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ↑ "Hyperconnect CEO Ahn Sang-il steps down 10 years after establishment - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse)". Pulse (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ↑ Global, KED. "Tinder owner Match Group taps Sam Ahn as Asia's chief innovation officer - KED Global". KED Global. Archived from the original on 2023-07-14. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ↑ "Former CEO Ahn Sang-il, co-founder of HyperConnect, who wrote the success story of his start-up with.. - MK". 매일경제. 2025-01-06. Retrieved 2025-11-20.