There's Now A Tinder Exclusively For Popular, Elite, Pretty People
Normal people need not apply.
I'm not an impartial journalist. In fact, I'm not a journalist at all — I'm a writer and a blogger. I don't have to present both sides of a story. I get my facts straight and tell the truth but I'm not a reporter.
I'm also not in a way shape or form someone who would be interested in the dating app The League. And since I'm in a relationship, I have no need for dating apps of any kind. But what I find really annoying about The League is how exclusionary they are.
They cater to the elite only, and according to their website they use an advanced screening algorithm to keep their community well-balanced and high-quality. Does the wording of that make anyone else uncomfortable — or is it just me?
By the way, those who don't qualify as being high-quality or well-balanced (read: rich and attended prestigious schools) are referred to as "randoms."
The League's founder Amanda Bradford is a Stanford graduate. She raised 2.1 million from Silicon Valley investors for this more interesting Tinder. It started in San Francisco in January and then in New York in May.
As someone born and raised in the Silicon Valley, The League starting in San Francisco surprised me because it seems like such an East Coast money kind of thing.
The algorithm that invites selected users to access their app is based primarily on LinkedIn profiles and Facebook. Most of the people on their waitlist (!!) were in finance and advertising.
Bradford said that the most important trait you need is ambition (and money, of course).
"We want people to think of The League as a little more grown up and tasteful, for young professionals who want to go out for a coffee or a drink and aren't just about hooking up ... We want our users to say, 'Hey, we trust your judgment.' These people are going after their dreams. They're just interesting, ambitious, and doing something they're excited about," she says.
At a recent The League event, some guests were flown in via helicopter, and there were celebrity guests like Mischa Barton, and free gifts from Birchbox (which isn't unlike getting a lot of high-end free samples).
I guess we should all be grateful that this section of society has a Tinder-like app that can cater to their unique elite needs. I'm sure life is tough for them, especially when they're forced to deal with randoms.