Relationships Talk

After a long relationship, I decided to try online dating. I tried two apps and was disappointed by both the quality of people and the actual user experiences of these services. I thought, this could be done better, so I started to build a dating platform with a focus on the highest quality and the best experience. Thus, Inner Circle was born.

Growth came organically for the app. It was the perfect mix of a great idea and the luck of starting at the right time and with the right people. We launched in Amsterdam and invited our friends, who invited their friends, and it snowballed from there. Before we knew it, we were living in cities around the world and hitting big membership milestones. I think the breakthrough moment was seeing a gap in the market for a dating app that focussed on experience.

There is no typical Inner Circle member. Our initial screening makes sure that everyone is genuine and who they say they are, and also looking for a real relationship. After that, it’s really an eclectic mix – there are bankers, teachers, actors, artists. Our members are young, attractive professionals from across the world and we work to ensure there is a variety of eligible people. To put that in a real-life example, in the early days we got picked up by KLM airline and attracted a lot of KLM staff. However, after a while we became worryingly close to becoming KLM-Dating.com, so the screening altered to provide a mix of members.

Our vetting process is a closely guarded secret, as it’s our recipe for success. All of our screenings are done in-house by a team who crosscheck Facebook and LinkedIn pages. They take into consideration the profile of the individual and the balance of members already on the platform.

The biggest reason for turning a member away is that the picture doesn’t show their face – you’d be surprised by how often this happens. If you cover your face with a Snapchat filter, you’re not going to get through.

The biggest dating faux pas is trying too hard. When you’re in a dating environment, everyone wants to meet someone and make it work, so if you relax and be yourself, you’ll be much more likely to find someone who you genuinely get on with. The absolute worst thing you can do is not be honest, because even if it works and you get on with someone, eventually they will realise that you weren’t being yourself and feel cheated; then you’ll be back at square one. Remember that you’re a catch, and the right person will see that.

We have had so many Inner Circle love stories. We actually have a baby wall in our office and on occasion, when people have met us directly at events, we have been invited to their weddings.

Going through a break-up sucks but remember, you’ve got this. Take some time for yourself and remember who you are.

My best piece of dating advice is simple – just be yourself. There’s nobody else like you and somewhere, out there, someone is looking for you.

https://www.theinnercircle.co/c/lux