Category: The Inner Circle

Online Daters Looking for More Than Endless Swiping

Posted on February 26, 2020

Hinge bannerAP – Feb 25 – Some of today's app users are sick of the endless swiping according to industry leaders who are responding with new ways to get users off their phones and out meeting people in the real world. David Vermeulen's The Inner Circle launched in 2012 and curates users looking for meaningful connections, and hosts offline events in cities around the globe for 2+ million members. People have become "Tinder tired". Justin McLeod launched Hinge in 2011, and in 2016 removed the swipe option to encourage more interaction. Vermeulen plans to add an automated response to anyone who just messages "Hi" as an introduction, which he said is often a dead-end to dating. "We're gonna say, OK, this is not the best start for a conversation. You have to do better."

by Louise Dixon
See full article at AP

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The Inner Circle Appoints Scott Harvey as Digital Communications Manager

Posted on January 14, 2020

The inner circle scott harveyEMERCE – Jan 12 – The Inner Circle expands the Dutch team by appointing Scott Harvey as Digital Communications Manager. Scott was previously Managing Editor at Global Dating Insights. Thanks to his knowledge of the dating industry, Harvey will manage all digital communication of the Dutch dating app.

See full article at Emerce

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The Inner Circle Launches in South America

Posted on April 4, 2019

Theinndercircle logo 2017EMERCE – Apr 4 – The Inner Circle is officially launching in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. In just a few weeks, ~40K residents of Sao Paulo have already registered. The Inner Circle was founded in 2012 in Amsterdam, and claims 1.6M members worldwide.

See full article at Emerce

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Singles Are Open to Discuss Politics on a First Date

Posted on March 20, 2019

Theinnercircle icon 2018BUSTLE – Mar 20 – Elite dating app The Inner Circle conducted some research into how open members of their site were to talking about politics on a first date. And it turns out people are more than prepared to do so, as 62% of singles would be happy to talk politics on a first date. 13% of their members said that they would be really happy to share their political views with their partner. However, the first date was off limits for them. In addition, 25% said they would never discuss politics on a date at all.

by Alice Broster
See full article at Bustle

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Finance Professionals the Most Desirable in London, Says The Inner Circle

Posted on February 28, 2019

Theinndercircle logo 2017CITYAM – Feb 28 – Dating app The Inner Circle has found that in London, finance professionals made up the most right-swiped men and women on the app. The second most popular professions for men were in the computer and tech industry. For women the second best profession was the in healthcare. The Inner Circle analyzed 5K members in cities like London, New York, Amsterdam, Paris, LA, Toronto and Sydney.

by Alyana Vera
See full article at CityAM

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The Rise of Niche Dating Apps in Tinder Era

Posted on February 13, 2019

VOGUE Muddymatches logo– Feb 12 – In an increasingly crowded market, a new generation of niche apps are going a step further by homing in on specific requirements that narrow down the dating pool drastically. "I've found that people from similar backgrounds tend to stick together," says Lydia Davis, founder of Toffee, the world's first dating app for the privately educated. Davis set up Toffee in 2018 with the aim of connecting people on the posher end of the spectrum. In nine months, the app has gained 25K subscribers in the UK and there are plans to expand into new markets including Australia, India and Nigeria. "In the UK, 8% of people are privately educated but in Australia that number is 35%. In India, it's 38%. The Inner Circle, an exclusive dating app launched in Amsterdam in 2012, is now active in 30 cities and has 1.4M members. Users are screened using their Facebook and LinkedIn before being allowed to join, though the required criteria remains a closely guarded secret. Not so with Luxy, a dating app for the super-rich where users are encouraged to verify their income by submitting their tax returns. Location and lifestyle are also important factors for niche dating platforms. In 2006, sisters Lucy Reeves and Emma Royall set up Muddy Matches, a dating site for "country-minded people". In fact, there's a dating app for everyone. Twindog is for dog lovers, Bristlr is for those with facial hair, Gluten Free Singles, JSwipe, Hater, a dating app that determines compatibility based on the things people hate, Donald Daters, etc.

by Radhika Seth
See full article at Vogue

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

Posted on December 13, 2018

Theinnercircle david vermuelenBUSINESS 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’

Posted on December 7, 2018

Duck face selfieINSIDER – 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

Posted on November 27, 2018

Luxy iconFINANCIAL 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

Posted on November 23, 2018

The inner circle david vermuelenREAL 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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