The Inner Circle dating app finally launched in São Paulo this week and with the slogan "Selective Dates," the app wants to appeal to an audience that works in business centers and buys designer shoes.
But unlike the more traditional dating apps like Tinder and Happn, The Inner Circle isn’t gunning for tons of users. It just wants a select group of "inspiring singles," according to the company's own website.
The app already has 1.6 million users in 30 countries. “First we do a screening. We want to be sure that the people who have an account are high-level professionals with consolidated careers,” said David Vermeulen, president, and creator of the app.
Thus, Uber drivers or cleaners are not welcome in the app. Using the search in the Premium version, the reporter counted 29 journalists, 41 professors, 129 lawyers, 59 CEOs, and 99 businessmen among the men and heterosexual users.
According to the company's survey, the most common areas of professional activity among São Paulo women enrolled in the app are medicine, marketing, and law. Most men work in the financial market, with technology or are engineers.
Vermeulen, however, denies that the app is elitist. He says he selects new users based on who is already in the app data. He wants people who have similar social backgrounds. The selection is made by artificial intelligence but if necessary, a human does it as well.
The app uses data from Facebook or LinkedIn data (used to register), taking into consideration educational level (basic, average, higher, bachelors, masters, PhD), age, profession, number of friends in networks and location. The system also analyzes the images of those interested.
People who post photos of themselves shirtless, selfies in the bathroom or with doggie filter are discarded.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon