What Guys are Saying about Linx….

“You are a total world-class pro!”- 50-something CEO of tier one finance firm

“Amy is probably the best matchmaker in Silicon Valley and has had some great success, while she didn’t match my wife and I, I was working with her and the dates that she sent me on were closer to the mark than most I did on my own and really helped me define what I wanted.

Amy is very good at helping you set your expectations properly and to really figure out what you need to improve about yourself to attract the type of person you want. This is key because if you want the caliber of person you desire, you need to work on you first.

Amy is very well connected in Silicon Valley and has a large pool of connections to make that introduction happen. I have sent several of my friends her way, and if you want that personal hands on approach, Amy is the type of person that will help you find the most important person in your life.”- 30 something entrepreneur in tech

“Finding the love of your life can seem like an endless search, with ups and downs. The Linx process was professional, detailed, considerate, and very enjoyable. It was the third match that worked like a charm- where chemistry was firing in all directions.

I ended up proposing to my beautiful soul mate and we are so excited to get married! Amy even helped with my proposal planning making it seamless and thoughtful at Cavallo Point in Marin. We are so blessed to have been matched and wouldn’t have ever met if it was not for this unique dating network. For anyone who wants to be introduced to quality, genuine men and women all of whom have been carefully vetted by Amy, this is an excellent alternative to online dating and dating apps!”- 50 something in healthcare

“For a person generally recognized as the Silicon Valley matchmaker, Amy’s approach is decidedly traditional. At first glance, you might wonder if this difference is what enables Amy to succeed where online dating and other matchmaking services have failed. After working with Amy, though, it becomes apparent that her approach is a natural outcome of what truly makes her great–her drive to invest time and energy in each and every client she takes on. Amy’s intelligence and creativity allow her to translate this passion into tangible results regardless of what an individual client’s needs may be. My only regret in working with Amy is that I didn’t start sooner!

…Amy would be the first to tell you that her service is best used as a supplement to rather than a replacement for online dating; and if you’re shocked that a service provider spends more time on clients that pay more, you might have a different understanding of business than I do.”- 30 something in technology

Announcing a new search for a handsome 28-year old gentleman….

Our client is an adventurous and exceptionally well-rounded 28-year old Caucasian man who is a total catch in every way. He is brand new on the dating scene and is not one to put himself online or tinker with apps – he just doesn’t have the inclination or the time and furthermore seeks the utmost quality match to complement his life.

Physically, he stands 6’4”, with an athletic build, short brown hair, pale blue eyes, and has a preppy sense of style. His smile is effortless and eyes twinkle when he speaks. Fitness and health are very important to him – he enjoys crossfit, hiking, soccer, skiing, and playing lacrosse when he has the time. He’s a former cowboy who worked on a ranch in Montana when he was younger and still finds enjoyment in riding horses to relax.

Our client’s professional and academic career have taken him down some very diverse paths including recently having returned from serving as an officer in the Marine Corps, completing deployments to Afghanistan and the Western Pacific. He’s currently working in finance and will begin an MBA in the fall.  He’s driven, goal oriented, and successful, yet very humble.

His eclectic past has taught him to adapt quickly and to be comfortable in a variety of environments. He enjoys everything from seeing plays, to strolling through museums, river rafting, camping, all sports, and even dabbling in woodworking. He’s a family guy who was raised in a loving home and looks to his parents as role models of marital success.  He’d love to have a partner to travel with, and is eager to keep filing up his passport. While he can be lost in the kitchen, he shares he makes a great sous chef and is adept at firing up the grill.

You will find him to be a natural born leader, organized, and confident. He’s social but not the life-of-the-party and has an easy-going calm way about him. What is most impressive is that this is “his time” to find the woman of his dreams. While he’s been awarded medals and ribbons with valor for heroic actions during his combat operations, at the end of the day, family is most important to him and that means the missing piece in his life is finding the girl of his dreams with whom to settle down.

Our bachelor is looking for a young woman who is between the ages of 24 and 32, where 28 is the ideal age. Since he’s blessed with height, she is ideally taller with an ideal height of 5’8” (but he’s open to a wider range). He responds positively to femininity, naturally pretty women, who have longer hair of any color, and are slender to athletic, with some nice curves. His dream girl is stylish, enjoys the outdoors, and keeps healthy like he does. She can work in any industry and have any title but the key is to be passionate and love what she does! She must be social, very family oriented, spunky, caring, happy, fun, and confident enough to call him out at times! Wallflowers need not apply!

If you or anyone you know make a great potential match for our dreamy bachelor, please contact Amy at amy@linxdating.com

America wants to hear from you!

I wanted to get a post up as soon as possible to announce some creative media projects we are currently working on both domestically and internationally right now.

These are all high-end TV related projects and documentaries about the Silicon Valley ecosystem and what makes this a mecca for some of the sharpest minds in the world, a breeding ground for multi-billion dollar ideas, and a hot spot for dating!

I am looking for a handful of professional men and women who are somehow involved with Linx (i.e., a client, a prospect, attends Link & Drink events, general fan, etc). and who would be willing to share their story about navigating the dating scene in the Silicon Valley and beyond. Your input would be extremely valuable and help make a very compelling story.

One of these is a local story on how toxic and unhealthy loneliness can be, the other is a national story (extremely high-end) on the SV ecosystem, and the other is an international news piece on the valley and the movers/shakers that make up this vibrant community.

For entrepreneurs, business owners, etc this could be incredible exposure for you on a professional level! On a personal level, you never know “who” will watch and email us at Linx wanting to meet YOU! Everyone has something to share on some level. In fact, pretty much everyone I have ever sat down with has joked “Amy I could write a book at this point about dating!” So please don’t be shy, email me to inquire more…

Please send me an email to: amy@linxdating.com

Thank you Linx readers! XO

The Secrets Of Silicon Valley’s Dating Scene

BuzzFeed contacted me to introduce the journalist to a few of our clients who were willing to talk anonymously about the Silicon Valley dating scene. Here is what one young attorney in the Silicon Valley had to say….

There is saying amongst women trying to date in Silicon Valley: The odds are good, but the goods are odd. There are tons of guys, but they tend to be socially awkward, career-obsessed, and prone to a Peter Pan mentality.

What’s it like to try to find love in the Valley? This lawyer, in her early thirties and living in the heart of Silicon Valley, has tried everything: online dating, going to clubs, and even Linx Dating, a high-end Valley matchmaking service. On the condition of anonymity she agreed to tell all.

They call it “Man Jose,” and it is so true.

If you are even an average or above average female, finding a date isn’t an issue. You have a lot of guys you can go on dates with, but what makes it difficult is finding a viable partner. Most of the men went to Ivy League schools, are ambitious, and came out here because it’s the mecca of the tech world. There’s a great mix of guys from all over world, and there are interesting types of people to meet. That said, not a lot of them are viable. And the men that are viable know it.

A lot of them are socially awkward. They are extremely smart and logical and think, “I can apply that to a relationship and be rational and logical and that will work.” They don’t realize that as women, we can be emotional — a lot of guys don’t have tolerance for that.

A lot of people in the Valley have started meeting people through salsa dancing — it’s really big — and so much social awkwardness comes up. I don’t think a lot of guys even interact with women on a consistent basis. You dance with them and some actually shake. They can’t look you in the eye. They act like, “Oh my goodness, there is a woman who I’m touching.” They get super nervous. It makes it difficult to date someone who doesn’t even know how to act in a social context; it’s just frustrating.

I went on a date with a 25-year-old who told me in the beginning, “You are the second person I’ve ever gone on a date with. Ever.”

It was the worst date. It was clear he had never dated. He told me all these things that you wouldn’t ever disclose on a first date. It almost felt like an awkward high school setup; we met at this yogurt place. And that’s another thing — it’s not really typical to go on formal dates. Everyone does coffee for the first date. In other parts of the country, going to dinner is pretty standard; here, when a guy mentions dinner for a first date, it’s like, wow — that is shocking! Most people in the tech industry are very laid-back and don’t have a lot of time. The mentality is, “Am I going to invest in this or do sort of a pre-date?”

On dates, guys wear flip-flops, shorts, and jeans. It’s what they wear to work, so they think it translates to date attire — just wearing their scrubby clothes. I wear dresses when I met these guys. They don’t put in that effort.

Guys who are successful, who dress up, are good-looking, and who aren’t socially awkward are a rare breed. And they know it. They have a ton of choices. They’re the type that’s always looking for a better option. There are some like that in Silicon Valley, but I find a lot in San Francisco. I’ve been on dates with guys you would say are the “whole package,” and while they’re with you they literally look at other women as they walk away.

Guys in Silicon Valley spend lot of time on their career and don’t have time to devote to relationships. I’m a lawyer and I work a lot too; most tech guys I meet put in as many or more hours as I do. Sometimes when they have a deadline or are pushing out a product, for instance, they put in 90 hours. They typically say they would live at work if they could. A lot of big tech companies, like Google and LinkedIn, make it conducive to these guys spending every minute of their time there, with great perks like food and showers and the like.

The companies where they work promote a bubble mentality. There is an immaturity level that prevails — like they are trying to promote the idea that they are still in college. At Google they have Nerf gun wars. At work, their food is provided for them and they can, essentially, act like they are still in college. A lot of guys, even in their twenties and early thirties, have roommates even though they are making well over $100,000 a year. It makes it difficult to have a serious relationship.

There are two groups of guys. A lot of them are 23 to 28. They are into their career, and most are quite immature. And then there are a ton of early-forties guys who never married. They have waited and were starting companies and then they hit their forties and realized,”Now I’m ready to get married and have kids.”

These groups are the only two we get hit on by. Where are the early-thirties guys? We can’t figure it out. We don’t know where they hang out or what they do. Especially online, if a guy in his mid-thirties messages me, it’s a rarity. My friends and I are done dating anyone not in their thirties, and we don’t know where these guys are.

I’ve heard that San Francisco is known to be the number one city for gold diggers, but I haven’t observed that at all. It isn’t realistic, because if you live in this area you have to be able to make quite a bit of money — it’s very expensive. It’s actually the other way around: There are definitely very accomplished older professional women here. Older women are just picking up the 28-year-olds because they can. It is totally cougar central, and it’s hilarious.

Everywhere I go, it’s 23- and 24-year-olds. I’ll say, “You’re too young for me. It won’t work,” and they tell me, “I’ve dated older women, and it is so much better.” It’s pretty common. They’ll latch on to us, and they think, she’ll take care of me. They’re being taken care of at work, so why not be in a relationship where they’re taken care of too?

It’s so comical — to the point where when I go out, the first question is, “How old are you?” These younger guys try to persuade you that they really are mature, but they’re not. Some of them just latch on and are very persistent. It’s flattering, sure, but at the same time, it just doesn’t work.

A lot of guys have the mentality that they’ll wait and they’ll find the perfect woman. They don’t realize that relationships aren’t about perfection. At work, it’s all black and white. They say they love their job because it’s about fixing a problem and there is always a solution. They don’t realize that this isn’t how it works in real life.

Written by : Justine Sharrock for BuzzFeed

Follow me on Twitter @linxdating

Teure Suche nach Miss und Mister Right (Expensive search for Ms and Mr. Right)

Linx was just featured in Süddeutsche Zeitung in Germany by journalist Matthias Kolb. Here is the article for those of you who can read German. Süddeutsche Zeitung is largest German national subscription daily newspaper. 

Im Silicon Valley wird alles Mögliche outgesourct – selbst die Liebe. Das ist ein Glück für Menschen wie Amy Andersen: Die Linxdating-Gründerin arrangiert Dates. Manche Kunden überweisen dafür mehr als 50.000 Dollar. Fünfter Teil der Serie über Kaliforniens Hightech-Standort.

Wenn es um das Silicon Valley geht, dann ist die Rede von Innovationen, technischem Fortschritt und den immergleichen Unternehmen: Apple, Google und Facebook. Doch die Besonderheit des 77 Kilometer langen Streifen, der im Norden Kaliforniens von San Francisco durch das Santa-Clara-Tal runter nach San José führt, machen erst die zahlreichen Start-ups und deren Gründerinnen und Gründer aus.

In einer kleinen Artikelserie lassen wir acht Persönlichkeiten aus der Hightech-Region zu Wort kommen – Unternehmer und TV-Sternchen, Amerikas erfolgreichsten Immobilienmakler und einen Deutschen, der an einem “Start-up-Kompass” tüftelt, der Gründern vorhersagt, ob ihre Projekte durchstarten oder scheitern werden. Bereits zu Wort kamen David Sacks, Chef des sozialen Netzwerks Yammer, Cameron Teitelman, Leiter des StartX-Gründerzentrums der Uni Stanford, Soujanha Bhumkar, Gründer des Start-ups Cooliris und Björn Lasse Herrmann, Gründer des Start-up-Kompasses. Heute stellen wir Amy Andersen, 36, Chefin der Dating-Agentur Linxdating vor.

Im Silicon Valley gibt es viele Menschen, die alle Lebensbereiche outsourcen: Sie haben eigene Fitnesstrainer und jemanden, der ihre Mahlzeiten zusammenstellt. Die Liebe ist da keine Ausnahme. Ich habe meine Agentur Linxdating 2003 gegründet und helfe seitdem Investoren, Entwicklern, Programmierern und Managern dabei, den richtigen Partner fürs Leben zu finden. Meine typischen Kunden haben sich sehr auf ihre berufliche oder akademische Karriere konzentriert. Es ist fast so, als hätten sie sich unter einem Stein versteckt. Die meisten haben ein bestimmtes Alter, wenn sie uns kontaktieren: die Frauen sind etwa 33, Männer 38 bis 39.

Ich mache keine Werbung – neue Kunden kommen aufgrund von Empfehlungen zu mir. Sie müssen einen ausführlichen Fragebogen ausfüllen und auch Fotos ihrer Ex-Partner vorlegen. Wir führen ausführliche Gespräche, um Vertrauen aufzubauen und damit ich erahnen kann, wonach meine Klienten suchen und welche Eigenschaften ihnen wichtig sind. Ich weiß: Diese Menschen sind reich, jung und gut ausgebildet und sollten keine Probleme haben, einen Partner zu finden können. Doch viele wissen gar nicht, wie sie sich bei den Dates verhalten sollen, die ich für sie arrangiere.

Einen meiner Kunden, ein junger Manager von Facebook, hat schon der Gedanke an ein Date ängstlich gemacht. Ständig hat er gefragt: “Amy, worüber soll ich mit ihr denn reden außer über die Arbeit?” Um ihm zu helfen, habe ich einfach ein Gespräch mit ihm geführt und ihn nach Filmen, Büchern und seinem Lieblingswein gefragt. Er hat sehr viel geredet und das hat ihm sehr gefallen.”

Der Preis für meine Dienstleistungen richtet sich nach Umfang des Services. Für acht garantierte Dates innerhalb von 2 Jahren berechne ich 20.000 Dollar – natürlich gebe ich auch Tipps für die passende Garderobe, schlage passende Restaurants vor oder arrangiere eine Limousine. VIP-Kunden überweisen mindestens 50.000 Dollar.

Zeit ist wichtiger als Geld

Manche Klienten haben spezielle Wünsche: Ihr Traumpartner soll nicht nur eine bestimmte Haarfarbe haben, sondern auch einen bestimmten Abschluss von einer bestimmten Uni. Da muss ich wie eine Jägerin nach dieser Person suchen. Weil ihnen Zeit wichtiger ist als Geld und meine Diskretion schätzen, sind die Kunden bereit, diese Summen zu zahlen. Sie sorgen sich eher, dass sich ihr Gegenüber mehr über ihren Kontostand als für die eigene Persönlichkeit interessiert.

Natürlich ist dieser plötzliche Reichtum, diese Millionen, mit denen sie nicht gerechnet haben, etwas Großartiges, aber es macht auch Angst und kann zur Last werden. Also mache ich Rollenspiele mit ihnen: “Oh mein, Gott, du arbeitest bei Google/Facebook? Wie geht es deinem Aktiendepot und hast du schon mal Mark Zuckerberg getroffen?” Viele Leute stellen diese Fragen und darauf müssen sie vorbereitet sein. Nur so können sie herausfinden, ob ein Mädchen aus Interesse fragt oder weil sie eine sogenannte “Goldgräberin” ist.

Die Tatsache, dass ich alle Kandidaten wochenlang überprüfe und es allein 1000 Dollar kostet, in meine Kartei aufgenommen zu werden, ist sehr wirksam. Wer sich an mich wendet, sucht keine schnelle Affäre, sondern einen Partner mit ähnlichen Interessen, der ihn oder sie intellektuell herausfordert. Meine Kunden sind high profiles, die nicht mit einem Kollegen ausgehen oder in einer Bar nach Mister oder Miss Right suchen. Sie wissen, dass dies nicht passieren wird, und für Online-Dating sind sie zu vorsichtig. Also steht nach Bedarf nach Angeboten wie dem von Linxdating.

CNN Visits Linx

On December 6th, CNN visited our office in Menlo Park for a camera interview with corespondent, Laurie Segall. She’s a CNN Money reporter based in New York covering startups, innovation, VC’s and all things new and cool. 

They contacted me about being featured as part of a story that will air in early January about Silicon Valley culture and navigating the waters as a successful single professional in a geek culture. They wanted me to specifically talk about any trends I am seeing in the Valley, if there has been a noticeable spike in business with all the new money pouring in post FB IPO, and how I get these geeks date ready through “Amy’s boot camp.” CNN also wanted me to host a little mixer where the guests would be comprised of high caliber single tech and entrepreneur types…those who are essentially changing the world right here in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Cupertino, and San Jose.

It was all very last minute,  so in true entrepreneurial form, I managed to get myself prepared with my interview “sound bytes”, coifed, spray tanned (lol), locate two fun outfits (a girl has to do two looks right…thanks Kate Spade), find dynamic guests who would be OK being featured on camera, and transform my office into a mixer-ready cozy den. The reporter (Laurie), producer, and cameraman were supposed to arrive at 5:00pm to interview me, followed by party guests arriving at 6:15pm to start the party on film. With holiday traffic and general 101 chaos, the CNN crew arrived an hour late. I’ve learned over the years and especially with media, you gotta roll with the punches and just “be.”

My assistant (who also took these pics!) and husband alerted those guests showing up for this little clandestine Linx soiree to come back in 45 minutes. I was so thankful to have the two of them outside helping me (especially as I was getting mic’ed and wired, as well as, really needing to channel my focus to the camera that was about to start shooting) and so appreciative that everyone was super chill and willing to come back no problem.

The interview went really well and was a standing interview compared to a more formal sit-down format. We chatted for about 15 minutes with lots of shared insights, laughs, and had a nice, easy rapport between us. She asked me a ton about the business, how I match, my success rate, the types of clients I represent, if I’ve seen a rise in business with all the money in the valley, etc.

She asked about working with these hoodie wearing nerds and how I transform them. I said “geek is the new chic” here in the valley and sometimes with even 30 minutes in “Amy’s boot camp” they are ready. It is a confidence thing. Sometimes these cerebral types are so trapped in their freakin’ head they have no idea what to say to a woman. You multiply that by woman + attractive + cool + intellectual and these guys are shakin’ in their boots at the idea of even sitting across from their date. A little time with Amy and they are ready to go!At the very end of the interview, she asked me if I am the “new millionaire matchmaker.” In other words, am I Patti 2.0? I paused and said, “I am the nice millionaire matchmaker.” And that was a wrap! All 25 guests poured in, votives in true Andersen style flickered everywhere, wine poured, jazz played, people mingled, munched on food platters I put together (thanks to Trader Joes…side note- they have great tapas cheeses, sliced meats, and so much for entertaining…love love love it), and networked. The camera got a ton of b-roll footage and also got coverage of 4 guests who wanted to have mini interviews. It was so nice to see such enthusiasm that night and holiday festivities in full swing that night!

It appears as though some possible love connections happened that night and beyond romance, a lot of guests reconnected having met prior and those who had not met one another, gained interesting new contacts in the Silicon Valley.

And to quote Ferris Bueller (which I feel is a very representative quote for Silicon Valley), “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” This story is supposed to come out the end of January 2013.

Attention Silicon Valley Geeks

One of my favorite, quirky geek films in the 80’s by John Hughes is Weird Science where two high school, dateless geeks use their computer skills to create “the perfect woman” 

 
A lot of us obsessed over this movie but fast forward Linx has become a sort of step back in time allowing cerebral types with callused computer fingers spin out their perfect Kelly La Broc woman. 

In reminiscing about this movie I am reminded of the wonderful pool of guys that come to Linx searching for that “perfect woman.”

These men have just been nose to the grindstone, focused on their academics and career and are ready for love. They come to Linx in search of their life partner but aren’t so sure where to get started and sometimes they just need a bit of date coaching to learn to strengthen their hunter and alpha male qualities.

In the movie the boys create an insanely stunning woman of their dreams who also has magical powers which she uses to carefully steer the normally shy teens in directions where they are forced to be in-charge under pressure.  

I like to think of Linx as this female character in the film in that sense – where instead of magically providing a car, fake IDs and heading to a Blue’s club for some  Bourbon shots, we take the guys exactly as they are and help them own their qualities, polishing them up with excellent sound bytes. We might even go as far as wardrobe consultation, mock dates, and throwing them in simulated environments where we role play.  
 

We pride ourselves in representing such a quality pool of “geeks” because these are the men women are demanding! Women want men who are hard working, passionate about what they do, successful and quirky in their own special way, attentive and honest – the best thing about these men is that all these traits is what women find uber sexy and many of these men don’t even know it!

If you are one of these guys who maybe is shy and wonders what the heck women are thinking half the time, write us. We represent hundreds of good guys like you and can help you land the perfect Weird Science girl of your dreams. Dating is a skill and we are masters of helping our clients learn techniques to achieve your personal goals of finding true love.

CNET Interview