{{short description|American businessman (born 1970)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Brandon Wade | image = | caption = | birth_place = Singapore | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|7|16}} | other_names = Brandon Wey,<ref>{{cite news |last=Padawer|first=Ruth|date=2009-04-10|title=Keeping Up With Being Kept|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12sugardaddies-t.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2018-05-19}}</ref> Lead Wey | occupation = Businessman, entrepreneur | known_for = InfoStream Group <br> Seeking.com | spouse = | children = | website = {{URL|https://askbrandonwade.com}} }}
'''Brandon Wade''' (born '''Lead Wey''';<ref>{{cite news |last=Normandin|first=Ryan|date=2011-09-06|title=The dark side of an MIT brain|url=https://thetech.com/2011/09/06/normandin-v131-n34|newspaper=The Tech|access-date=2018-11-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fwweekly.com/2013/02/20/not-so-sweet-arrangements/|title=Not-So-Sweet Arrangements|date=20 February 2013|publisher=|access-date=2 February 2020|quote="the brainchild of Singapore-born Lead Wey"}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/living/article/I-m-rich-You-re-hot-The-cold-mathematics-of-6133072.php|title='I'm rich. You're hot.' The cold mathematics of sugar daddy dating|date=13 March 2015|work=SFGate|access-date=2 February 2020|quote="An immigrant from Singapore (his real name is Lead Wey)"}}</ref> 16 July 1970) is an American businessman who is the founder and chief executive officer of InfoStream Group, an online dating company. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and MIT Sloan School of Management<ref>Edwards, Jim. [http://www.businessinsider.com/brandon-wade-mit-nerd-built-a-10-million-sugar-baby-dating-empire-2012-4?op=1 "How This Never-Been-Kissed MIT Nerd Built A $10 Million Sugar Baby Dating Empire"] Business Insider. April 27, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2015.</ref> and a former software engineer.
==Early life== Born in Singapore to ethnic Chinese parents, Wade was raised in what he describes as a "Tiger Mom–type of upbringing" consisting of studying and not much else.<ref>Stern, Marlow. [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/10/brandon-wade-the-man-behind-sugar-daddy-websites-miss-travel-and-seeking-arrangement.html "Brandon Wade: The Man Behind ‘Sugar Daddy’ Websites Miss Travel and Seeking Arrangement"] The Daily Beast. May 10, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.</ref> While growing up in Singapore, Wade attended Saint Andrew's Secondary School and Hwa Chong Junior College.<ref>Tai, Janice. [http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/boss-of-sugar-dating-sites-on-the-defence "Boss of sugar dating sites on the defence"] The Straits Times. Aug 30, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.</ref>
In 1993, Wade graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering on an Overseas Merit Scholarship awarded by Singapore's Public Service Commission. Upon graduating in 1993, Wade opted to stay in the United States, breaking his contractual obligation to return to Singapore and forcing his parents to pay about $300,000 in damages.<ref>[https://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110807-293254.html "Boss of controversial dating websites a PSC bond-breaker"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307082056/http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110807-293254.html |date=2016-03-07 }} AsiaOne. August 7, 2011. Retrieved February 29, 2016</ref> Wade then enrolled in the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he graduated with a Master of Business Administration in 1995.
==Career== After completing his MBA, he moved to New York City to work for technology consultants Booz Allen. He later joined General Electric as a technology infrastructure manager.<ref>Edwards, Jim. [http://www.businessinsider.com/brandon-wade-mit-nerd-built-a-10-million-sugar-baby-dating-empire-2012-4?op=1 "How This Never-Been-Kissed MIT Nerd Built A $10 Million Sugar Baby Dating Empire"] Business Insider. April 27, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2018.</ref>
In 2006, Wade founded Seeking.com with the goal to connect people looking for romantic relationships that align with their personal goals. Wade served as CEO of the company from 2006 to 2022 and then rejoined the company as CEO in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Brandon |date=2024-06-09 |title=Leading with Love: Brandon Wade Back as Seeking.com CEO |url=https://blog.seeking.com/leading-with-love-brandon-wade-back-seeking-ceo |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Seeking Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>
Wade is the author of two books titled ''Seeking Arrangement: The Definitive Guide to Sugar Daddy and Mutually Beneficial Relationships'' <ref>{{cite book| title=Seeking Arrangement: The Definitive Guide to Sugar Daddy and Mutually Beneficial Relationships | date=2013-06-30 | isbn=978-0991008926 | last1=Wade | first1=Brandon | publisher=Ivy Street Press }}</ref> and ''Connecting with the IN Crowd: How to Network, Hang Out, and Play with Millionaires Online''.<ref>{{cite book| title=Connecting with the IN Crowd: How to Network, Hang Out, and Play with Millionaires | date=2011-09-28 | isbn=978-0991008902 | last1=Wade | first1=Brandon | last2=Sheiner | first2=Marcy | publisher=Ivy Street Press }}</ref>
In a 2014 essay for CNN titled '' "Dating website founder says love doesn't exist''",<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/25/opinion/seeking-arrangement-ceo-on-love/| title=CNN — Dating website founder says love doesn't exist |publisher=CNN | date=2012-01-09 |access-date=2015-08-30}}</ref> Wade wrote, "Love is a concept invented by poor people."
=== Dating websites === In 2006, Wade founded the sugar dating website Seeking.com. In 2007, Wade launched a companion dating site WhatsYourPrice.com, a dating website where members bid for dates in an online auction environment. In May 2012 he launched MissTravel.com, which pairs 'generous' travelers with 'attractive' travelers who would love the opportunity to travel the world for free.<ref>[http://www.misstravel.com/ Misstravel.com] MissTravel.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.</ref> And in May 2015, Wade launched OpenMinded.com, a dating website that caters to those who are monogamish with the goal of providing a safe and stigma-free environment that brings the ease and flexibility of online dating to the currently underserved world of open relationships.<ref>Wells, Jane. [https://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/11/openmindedcom-new-dating-site-caters-to-the-monogamish.html "OpenMinded.com: New dating site caters to the monogamish"] CNBC. May 11, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2018.</ref> He further states the website caters to those looking to engage in 'ethical cheating'.<ref>Rosman, Katherine. [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/fashion/ethical-cheating-open-minded-dot-com.html "Is There Such a Thing as Ethical Cheating?"] New York Times. July 16, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2018.</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.seeking.com}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Brandon}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:People from Singapore Category:Singaporean emigrants to the United States Category:Businesspeople from Las Vegas Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni Category:American company founders Category:MIT Sloan School of Management alumni