Alumni Meet the Entrepreneur Who Helped Change Wedding Planning Stories You May Like That Super Bowl Wedding Gown Was Designed by a Hum Ec Alum! Big Red Networking Platform Connects Cornellians A Decaf Soy Latte, with a Shot of Entrepreneurship In addition to co-founding part of The Knot Worldwide, Tim Chi ’98 was one of the Big Red minds behind Blackboard By Joe Wilensky If you’ve gone to college or gotten married over the past couple of decades, there’s a good chance that Tim Chi ’98 helped shape your experiences. The Engineering alum co-founded pioneering platforms in those two spaces: the course-management site Blackboard, and WeddingWire, an online marketplace that merged with its main competitor to become The Knot Worldwide. Both projects tapped Chi’s lifelong entrepreneurial drive, and both were built during a period that he describes as “pretty much the Wild West” of early Internet platforms. “We would stay up and code all night,” he recalls of fielding constant requests from users, “and we’d deliver.” Chi's pioneering sites were both built during a period that he describes as “pretty much the Wild West” of early Internet platforms. Chi’s entrepreneurial instincts surfaced early. He grew up in Southern California as the son of Taiwanese immigrants, and launched a car-washing business with a friend while still in high school. And while that venture failed, he recalls, “the hands-on learning really stuck with me.” On the Hill, Chi (who has long served on Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s advisory council) majored in what’s now operations research and information engineering. While he was still an undergrad, several faculty members hired him and some Linden Avenue housemates (Daniel Cane '98; Stephen Gilfus '97, BS ’98; Stephano Kim '98; John Knight '98; Lee Wang '97, MS ’98; and John Yang '98) to put their course materials online. Chi (seated) with collaborator Lee Wang ’97, MS ’98, in the late ’90s. In those early days of the web, demand for the platform—dubbed CourseInfo—skyrocketed. “It became very clear that we needed to build software to let the faculty do it themselves, rather than us being a service company doing it for them,” Chi recalls. “So we hunkered down and started building it.” While Chi was still an undergrad, several faculty members hired him and some Linden Avenue housemates to put their course materials online. In those early days of the web, demand for the platform skyrocketed. The business expanded to other universities; after graduation, the team moved to the Washington, DC, area, where CourseInfo merged with another education tech company and reincorporated as Blackboard, Inc. It ultimately raised nearly $100 million, became a market leader in just six years, and went public in 2004. “It was fast, it was a wild ride,” he says, “but it was really, really fun.” Stories You May Like That Super Bowl Wedding Gown Was Designed by a Hum Ec Alum! Big Red Networking Platform Connects Cornellians Chi met his future wife, Tracey, during this time—and found a new entrepreneurship opportunity as the couple began planning their 2005 wedding. Chi and wife Tracey now have three children. While an online platform for engaged couples (The Knot, which also published a popular magazine that remains in circulation) already existed, he says, its listings for local vendors lacked user reviews and other interactive features—in an era when crowdsourcing sites like Angie’s List and Tripadvisor had recently debuted. Chi found a new entrepreneurship opportunity when he and future wife Tracey began planning their 2005 wedding. Along with several co-founders (including Wang), Chi launched WeddingWire as the first review-powered online wedding marketplace. It brought couples and vendors together to organize nearly every aspect of wedding planning, from sending invitations and tracking RSVPs to hosting gift registries, comparing venues, creating seating charts, and hiring professionals like photographers, caterers, and DJs. Chi (center) and Wang (left) at WeddingWire's first trade show in 2006. And while the site launched too late for Chi and his bride to fully use it for their own event, it incorporated many of the lessons they learned along the way. “Cultural traditions can be very different—but the ‘pain points’ are the same,” he observes of wedding planning. “You need a place, you need food, you need a location, you need entertainment, you need to invite guests.” On a magazine cover in 2016. With Chi as CEO, WeddingWire—which received a huge early boost through a strategic partnership with Martha Stewart Living—expanded steadily. In 2018, it merged with The Knot to become The Knot Worldwide. Chi served as CEO for 20 years, stepping down in late 2025; he’s still on the board. To date, he says, the company—which has grown to nearly 2,000 employees—has helped facilitate more than 25 million nuptials in more than a dozen countries. At least 4 million annual users visit the site, which offers some 15 million customer reviews of more than 900,000 event professionals and vendors. “Weddings,” he says, “are the ultimate representation of why being with close friends and family, around a milestone moment, will always matter.” (All images provided.) Published May 22, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Quizzes & Puzzles Visual Quiz: Verdant Views Quizzes & Puzzles March / April ’24 Trivia Roundup Alumni ‘That’s When It Clicked’: Alums Share their Big Red ‘Aha’ Moments