Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Q&A With David Vermeulen, Founder & CEO of The Inner Circle

BUSINESS MATTERS - Dec 12 - David Vermeulen talks about his ambition to challenge the way we date in an ever-increasing digital era.

Q: What is The Inner Circle's founding story?
A: The concept started when, at the age of 35, I had just got out of a long-term relationship. I was looking around on online dating sites and found they were too concerned with quantity rather than quality. I believed online dating was going to be the future but that it should be focused around the quality of matches. This sparked the idea and led me to launch The Inner Circle in 2012.

Q: Who do you admire?
A: I believe Donald Glover is the entertainment industry's most multi-talented creative individual of our generation.

Q: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
A: When we originally launched, we hosted our first event in London and it turned into a massive party. We decided to have an open bar which didn't end up being the best idea. The combination of free drinks and English singletons made for some interesting scenes. Lesson learned!

Q: What defines your way of doing business?
A: Move fast, always improve, make mistakes and learn.

See full article at Business Matters

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The Inner Circle Never Accepts a 'Duck Face Selfie'

INSIDER - Dec 6 - The Inner Circle is a selective dating app with 1.3M users, but they only approve half the number of people who apply. Anyone who posts a "duck face" mirror selfie will not be allowed to join elite dating app The Inner Circle, the company's co-founder David Vermeulen said. The selection process is not only down to photos, though - the team of seven dedicated screeners also look at age, profession, and education. The average Inner Circle user is 31, but most are between the ages of 25 and 45. Celebrities or models, however, may get approved even if they're in their early 20s.

by Rachel Hosie
See full article at Insider

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The New Breed of Elite Dating Apps Designed for Wealthy Singletons

FINANCIAL TIMES - Nov 26 - Elite platforms are unashamedly catering to professionals, the wealthy, the highly educated and celebrities. The most controversial is Luxy, which described itself when it launched in 2014 as "Tinder, minus the poor people". Luxy declined to provide figures on its profits or revenues, but says it has been profitable since its first year of operation and now has ~2M users. New members must first pass a 24-hour approval process. Only 10-15% are accepted and the company claims that half of its active members earn ~$500K. The Inner Circle, which describes itself as an "exclusive community" was launched in 2012 in the Netherlands. It organises social gatherings for its members, such as polo tournaments, gallery openings or cabaret nights. Members are vetted according to profession, age and the quality of the pictures they submit. The company also declines to share the revenue figures, but says it is profitable, employs ~20 staff and has 1.3M approved members globally. The League, launched in the US in 2015, caters to professionals who are screened based on what industry they work in, their university education and how many LinkedIn connections they have. Toffee, a dating app exclusively aimed at the privately educated, launched in the UK this year. Lydia Davis, co-founder of the app, estimates Toffee will make $10M in revenues in 2019 if the app is as successful overseas as it has been initially in the UK.

by Madison Marriage
See full article at Financial Times

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Lessons from David Vermeulen, Founder of The Inner Circle

REAL BUSINESS - Nov 22 - The Inner Circle launched in the UK in 2013, had €4.9M in revenue in 2017 and employs 12 people. The crux of Vermeulen's business idea came from personal experience, Vermeulen was looking for love himself. Living in London in 2012, he was trying all the different apps the internet had to offer. But they were high on user traffic, but low on quality user experience. "The bad dates were a catalyst for me. With The Inner Circle, I wanted the focus to be on good quality people meeting on a good quality platform." The website took traction in Amsterdam first, and then London. "But the game changer came a year later when launching the app itself," says Vermeulen. "Tinder became a little like MacDonald's. It's addictive and you want more, but as soon as you consume it, you feel sick." "We achieved a €8k turnover during our first month. By our second, it was €23k." There was huge pressure for Vermeulen to manage this growth effectively. With every launch in every city you make a lot of mistakes, and initially, we were launching across many cities at once, so we made a lot of mistakes. "We took a step back and took it city by city," says Vermeulen. As we stand, in late 2018, the demand for what The Inner Circle offers daters shows no signs of slowing. There are ~1.2M people on the waiting list. But what Vermeulen is most proud of is the wall of baby photos that are sent by couples who met on his app.

by Annie May Noonan
See full article at Real Business

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The Inner Circle Is Raising Awareness for Movember

THE INNER CIRCLE - Nov 9 - Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young men. 1 in 20 men diagnosed with testicular cancer won't make it. 1 in 8 men have experienced a mental health problem. 75% of suicides are men. The Inner Circle users can donate to Movember, a multinational charity that aims to raise awareness of and money for men's health. The Inner Circle is giving all Movember campaigners a free full membership for the month.

by David Vermeulen
See full article at The Inner Circle

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Interview With CEO Of The Inner Circle, David Vermeulen

OPW INTERVIEW - Nov 1 - Dutch Tinder rival, The Inner Circle is a direct competitor to The League. The Inner Circle started out in Europe and then branched out across USA in 2016-2017, and in September 2018 they just launched in Singapore and Australia. Last month they won the Deloitte Fast 50 award, launched a VIP membership, and rang the gong at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

To what can you attribute Inner Circle's incredible growth in the past year?
There are 2 primary drivers that helped us grow. Firstly we see a trend of people becoming Tinder Tired. They are looking for quality alternatives that provide a more colourful experience. Because of this trend we have seen many users flocking to The Inner Circle. Secondly, over the past year we expanded to cities such as Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong where we found a very good click with singles.

What makes an Inner Circle event more than just a single's mixer?
Firstly, The Inner Circle offers a close community of people on the same page in life. This starts with a social dating experience online. Where people share who they are through their profiles and can meet with others who go to the same venues or are traveling to the same destinations. Secondly, our events are unique experiences built on years of experience. We make sure to partner with venues that are unique and one of the best in their city. Then we create an experience for our guests on top of that. It's a personal and fun night from start. When members are having a good time, the rest will follow naturally.

Do any other companies in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 rankings stand out to you?
Adyen, our current payment provider for the desktop and mobile site was a winner of the Deloitte Fast 50 in the past. In 2018 they got listed at the stock exchange. Their company is a great inspiration for us.

Please give some advice to dating startups. What priorities would you advise them to start with?
Build something that has a wow-factor in it.
Listen to your customers.
Focus on growth - growth - growth.

For any new users that are just joining the Inner Circle, what are some tips and tricks for success on the app?
When you want to make a good impression in real life, you put your best foot forward. The same goes online. So first put time into sharing creatively who you are. Share your story through a nice combination of photos then complement this with a profile that shares something unique about you. As icing on the cake, lookup your favourite venues in town and share any trips that you have coming up. Treat people online with the same values that you would in real life. So pay genuine interest in the person that caught your eye, send them an authentic message and commit to a proper conversation. If you are in a rush and can't chat, simply share that you gotta shoot off and that you will get back in touch.

Which countries and markets had Inner Circle grown the most in and which markets do you hope to better serve in the future?
We see the concept of quality dating is working around the world. Opening in the US was a very exciting period and the main US cities now form an important foundation of The Inner Circle. However the US market is enormous, with many buzzing cities. It will be an exciting challenge and opportunity to make a bigger mark on the US.

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The Inner Circle - Opening Amsterdam Stock Exchange

OPW - Oct 31 - The Inner Circle CEO David Vermeulen sounded the gong to open the Amsterdam stock exchange (Euronext.com). The selective dating app, based in Amsterdam, has been ranked number one in the Technology Fast 50 ranking 2018, the list of the fastest growing technology companies in the Netherlands. By sounding the gong CEO David Vermeulen celebrates winning.

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Dutch Tinder Rival The Inner Circle To Launch VIP Subscription

SILICON CANALS - Oct 25 - The Inner Circle lately won the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards this year for showing a consistent four-year growth. The Inner Circle is planning to launch a new VIP subscription very soon. Up until now, users in The Inner Circle used to get a match when they would like each other. With the new VIP subscription, they can find the people who liked them, find out who's interested and can make an instant matching connection. The VIP subscription also has a feature called 'Ghost Mode', where people can go online, but it doesn't show that they're online. The startup has already done beta testing and has high hopes, the new feature would be a hit.

See full article at Silicon Canals

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The Inner Circle Hunts For A Place In The International Dating Market

RTLZ - Oct 25 - David Vermeulen, founder of The Inner Circle, wants to know what is going on in his busy market. He is on 40 different dating sites. With a turnover growth of 3460%, The Inner Circle is the fastest growing technology company in the Netherlands, according to Deloitte. The Inner Circle is only for highly educated professionals between the ages of 25 and 45. The company claims to have ~1M users but Mr Vermeulen doesn't want to disclose how many of them are paying users. (The site charges 20Eur/month for premium membership). The Inner Circle is live in New York, LA, London, Hong Kong and Sydney.

by Suzanne Blotenburg
See full article at RTLZ

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The Inner Circle Just Won Deloitte Technology Fast 50

SILICON CANALS - Oct 12 - The Inner Circle, a selective dating app, won the Deloitte Technology Fast 50. At a gala dinner in Amsterdam, the Amsterdam-based company beat "Slack for retail" - startup Speakap and last year's winner Sendcloud. The Inner Circle showed a four-year growth of 3460%, with Speakap (2143%) and Sendcloud trailing behind (1928%). The dating app lately went live in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hong Kong. The last edition, the startup won the title Most Disruptive Innovator at Deloitte Technology Fast 50.

by Remco Janssen
See full article at Silicon Canals

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The Inner Circle Launches In Australia And Singapore

PRESS RELEASE - Sep 27 - The Inner Circle, the selective dating app, launched in Sydney last night with a big party at the Argyle. The app claims 32K members on its waiting list, 12K singles have been approved. Inner Circle also launched in Singapore last week with a big party. Since its launch in 2012 in Amsterdam, The Inner Circle expanded to ~30 major cosmopolitan cities around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, London and Paris. The community has grown to ~1.2M members worldwide.

See full article at Internet Dating Newswire

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The Inner Circle Passes 1 Million Members

THE INNER CIRCLE - July 2 - "300 weddings, 100 babies  and 1M members" is the latest achievement mark of a selective dating app - The Inner Circle. The app, established in 2012, is now in 30 cities around the world. The app claims to connect only the "most attractive and inspiring singles" and has very strict criteria for its members to be accepted. Since 2012, The Inner Circle has successfully held 288 events, attended by 40K people.

See full article at Medium

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The Inner Circle Has A Team Of Moms Who Give Out Advice On How To Meet People

MASHABLE - Mar 16 - At dating app The Inner Circle, users can get an answer from an impartial judge via the app's customer support team - which just happens to be a group of young mothers who work part time. By design, the six Amsterdam-based women who approve new users and handle support inquiries are all partnered women with children who offer their insights "from the perspective of people who conquered the dating game." The Inner Circle launched first in Europe back in 2013, before making its way to the U.S. last year. Users are accepted (or denied) based off their presence on at least three social accounts.

by Laura Vitto
See full article at Mashable

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Men Are More Into Valentine's Day Than Women

THE INNER CIRCLE - Feb 13 - A research by The Inner Circle dating app has found that men are more keen to celebrate Valentine's Day than women. And that applies whether they are casually or seriously dating. Men are also more likely to spend more money on a gift, with 45% believing you should spend £25 - 50 on a present.

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The Inner Circle: "Fine Dating - Fine People"

THETIMES.CO.UK - Dec 13 - Way back in 2000s David Vermeulen was just another ambitious young business school graduate. He was looking for a serious, grown-up relationship. He tried a couple of dating sites, but he wasn't impressed with the calibre of prospective mates. "There were just a lot of women and it was hard to filter through them. So, I thought, 'Why not make a platform with better quality people on it?'" Vermeulen, 41, is now the CEO of The Inner Circle, which he launched in Amsterdam in 2013 with Michael Krayenhoff. It's the fastest-expanding "curated dating" platform in Europe and it's rolling out in the US too. The Inner Circle claims 650K active users. New members can't sign up, they have to apply, or be invited by another member. The Inner Circle team looks at education, profession and connections on social media. Users also get to take part in real-life Inner Circle social events - polo matches, wine tastings and frequently holiday together. There are other elite dating platforms such as Luxy, Raya, Beautiful People or The League.

by Richard Godwin
See full article at TheTimes.co.uk

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