{"id":71775,"date":"2026-05-22T15:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=71775"},"modified":"2026-05-22T15:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:03:16","slug":"chi-entrepreneur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/chi-entrepreneur\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Entrepreneur Who Helped Change Wedding Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">In addition to co-founding part of The Knot Worldwide, Tim Chi \u201998 was one of the Big Red minds behind Blackboard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">If you\u2019ve gone to college or gotten married over the past couple of decades, there\u2019s a good chance that Tim Chi \u201998 helped shape your experiences. The Engineering alum co-founded pioneering platforms in those two spaces: the course-management site <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackboard.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blackboard<\/a>, and <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.weddingwire.com\/\">WeddingWire<\/a>, an online marketplace that merged with its main competitor to become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theknotww.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Knot Worldwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both projects tapped Chi\u2019s lifelong entrepreneurial drive, and both were built during a period that he describes as \u201cpretty much the Wild West\u201d of early Internet platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe would stay up and code all night,\u201d he recalls of fielding constant requests from users, \u201cand we\u2019d deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>Chi&#8217;s pioneering sites were both built during a period that he describes as \u201cpretty much the Wild West\u201d of early Internet platforms.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi\u2019s 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, \u201cthe hands-on learning really stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the Hill, Chi (who has long served on <a href=\"https:\/\/eship.cornell.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Entrepreneurship at Cornell<\/a>\u2019s advisory council) majored in what\u2019s now operations research and information engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While he was still an undergrad, several faculty members hired him and some Linden Avenue housemates (Daniel Cane &#8217;98; Stephen Gilfus &#8217;97, BS \u201998; Stephano Kim &#8217;98; John Knight &#8217;98; Lee Wang &#8217;97, MS \u201998; and John Yang &#8217;98) to put their course materials online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Tim Chi, seated, with classmate and WeddingWire co-founder Lee Wang \u201997, MS \u201998, in a Cornell classroom in 1995.\" class=\"wp-image-71774\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-632x355.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/tim-lee-1995-A.jpg 1087w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chi (seated) with collaborator Lee Wang \u201997, MS \u201998, in the late \u201990s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In those early days of the web, demand for the platform\u2014dubbed CourseInfo\u2014skyrocketed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt 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,\u201d Chi recalls. \u201cSo we hunkered down and started building it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>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.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was fast, it was a wild ride,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it was really, really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi met his future wife, Tracey, during this time\u2014and found a new entrepreneurship opportunity as the couple began planning their 2005 wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Tim Chi \u201998 and wife Tracey at their wedding in 2005\" class=\"wp-image-71772\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_3098-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chi and wife Tracey now have three children.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2014in an era when crowdsourcing sites like Angie\u2019s List and Tripadvisor had recently debuted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>Chi found a new entrepreneurship opportunity when he and future wife Tracey began planning their 2005 wedding.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with several co-founders (including Wang), Chi launched WeddingWire as the first review-powered online wedding marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Tim Chi, center, and two other WeddingWire co-founders at their first conference booth at an event\" class=\"wp-image-71769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/first-conference-booth-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chi (center) and Wang (left) at WeddingWire&#8217;s first trade show in 2006.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCultural traditions can be very different\u2014but the \u2018pain points\u2019 are the same,\u201d he observes of wedding planning. \u201cYou need a place, you need food, you need a location, you need entertainment, you need to invite guests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"738\" height=\"864\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A.jpg\" alt=\"Tim Chi on the cover of Baltimore Smart CEO magazine in 2016\" class=\"wp-image-71771 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A.jpg 738w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A-256x300.jpg 256w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A-632x740.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A-316x370.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A-400x468.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A-200x234.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/IMG_0274-A-100x117.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px\" \/><figcaption>On a magazine cover in 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>With Chi as CEO, WeddingWire\u2014which received a huge early boost through a strategic partnership with Martha Stewart Living\u2014expanded steadily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, it merged with The Knot to become The Knot Worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi served as CEO for 20 years, stepping down in late 2025; he\u2019s still on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To date, he says, the company\u2014which has grown to\u00a0nearly 2,000 employees\u2014has helped facilitate more than 25 million nuptials in more than a dozen countries.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWeddings,\u201d he says, \u201care the ultimate representation of why being with close friends and family, around a milestone moment, will always matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(All images provided.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Published May 22, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In addition to co-founding part of The Knot Worldwide, Tim Chi \u201998 was one of the Big Red minds behind Blackboard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":71770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[65939,53072,38323],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[513],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-71775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","cornell_year_post-513"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet the Entrepreneur Who Helped Change Wedding Planning - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In addition to co-founding part of The Knot Worldwide, Tim 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