Most Eligible Bachelors in Silicon Valley

Linx is featured in Entrepreneur.com today and we thought it would be fun to share on the blog this must read bachelor list!

By: Tanya Benedicto Klich

It may be the epicenter of innovation, but Silicon Valley is also teeming with smart, wealthy bachelors. As her Menlo Park, Calif.-based matchmaking service Linx Dating has grown over the last decade, Amy Andersen says she has gained unprecedented access to the “finest caliber of singles… in an area that is already a bubble of the best and the brightest.”

While she wouldn’t reveal Linx’s hottest clients for confidentiality reasons, she tapped her deep local network and social circles to round up the most eligible bachelors in the tech metro. Read the embedded dating expert’s commentary on why these dashing men are the most sought-after suitors of Silicon Valley:

JEREMY STOPPELMAN Image credit: jdlasica via Flickr

Andersen: “This Yelp co-founder and Harvard Business School graduate is a five-star catch as far as I’m concerned. Given his love for reading non-fiction, I think this guy might be ready for a bit of true romance.”

DYLAN SMITH Image credit: box.com

Andersen: “This Box CFO might be a former Duke Blue Devil, but he looks like a complete sweetheart. I also spot him fairly often in my neighborhood, and he literally is the cute ‘boy next door.”

JOE LONSDALE Image credit: TechCrunch via Flickr

Andersen: “A local Bay Area native and Stanford grad, Joe certainly made good as the co-founder of Palantir. These days, he appears to be more interested in media than in finance and defense, but surely this former chess champion knows that every King is vulnerable without the love of a strong Queen.”

BEN RATTRAY Image credit: personaldemocracy via Flickr

Andersen: “The handsome CEO of Change.org is definitely empowering all of us to be the change we want to see in the world, but I hear that he claims to not have the time to invest in a relationship. Where do I start a petition to change that?”

MATT MULLENWEG Image credit: Silicon Prairie News via Flickr

Andersen: “I hear this Texas-born bachelor and founder of WordPress claims to be married to his work, but it’s hard to believe that this soulful saxophonist isn’t looking to jazz up his personal life. My comment for this famous blogger? Find a lady love to occupy those lips of yours, and make your work your mistress.”

SERGEY BRIN Image credit: Thomas Hawk via Flickr

Andersen: “My sources tell me that this brilliant billionaire is back on the market. I’d like to see him find happiness, but when it comes to dating he needs to leave his infamous tech specs at home; a woman wants to look into a man’s eyes on a date, not into the transparent screen of his wearable computer Google Glass.”

TIM COOK Image credit: igrec via Flickr

Andersen: “It’s hard to think of a job more high profile than being the CEO of Apple, and yet Tim Cook is one of the most private men I can think of. I’d like to see him step away from work just a little bit, and find a partner to call his own.”

VIVEK & ANEEL RANADIVE Image credit: Aneel Ranadive via Twitter

Andersen: “Between the two of them, this father and son duo has degrees from Columbia, Harvard, and MIT. They also hold a significant stake in the Sacramento Kings, so we know these tech magnates understand the importance of being more than ‘all work and no play.’ Good looks and great minds definitely run in the family, so I think finding love for these two should be a slam dunk.”

JACK DORSEY Image credit: jdlasica via Flickr

Andersen: “The St. Louis-born, NYU-educated founder of Twitter has kept his Midwestern charm and Manhattan style, but I’d love to see him settle down and grow some real West Coast roots. I just hope his love letters include more than 140 characters.”

Spring Cocktail Party for Qualifying Women

Linx Dating is currently custom tailoring a cocktail party for one of our exceptional VIP male clients. Our event will feature the client and 5 + exceptional women for an evening of mingling, drinks, passed canapés, and delightful conversation. Attire is dressy and sophisticated.

Our client is in his early 50’s, Caucasian, 6’0″, exercises regularly, is nicely dressed, and has a contagious smile. He’s a very successful executive and leader in his field, as well as highly educated. Yet, what impresses us the most is how down-to-earth and genuine he is.

He’s an independent spirit who is playful, kind, adventurous, patient, happy, intellectual, and quiet at times. Outside of work, he is passionate about: NBA basketball, photography, big dogs, his adult son, travel, wine, and flying his gorgeous plane.

We are recruiting only a very small handful of beautiful women to attend this invite-only cocktail party. Above all else, you need to be comfortable flying with our bachelor VIP. Remember that his ultimate “freedom” and way to unwind from work is achieved through flying his 6 seater plane at any moment’s notice. Jetting off to Santa Barbara, Tahoe, Arizona for wine and sunset seem appealing to you?

You are sexy, smart, stable, and humorous and between the ages of 35-45. His ideal match is Caucasian, 5’6″ plus, stylish, fit, and naturally attractive. She is easy to be around, fun, comfortable with herself, adventuresome, and doesn’t take herself too seriously! Although he has one adult child already, he is open to more children.

If you would like to see if you qualify for this private Spring soiree, please email Amy: amy@linxdating.com

This Week in Perspective

It’s been extremely busy at Linx HQ. I am still blown away that January is officially over. Have you noticed how some people still have Christmas trees in their windows and lights still decorating their homes? Did they not get the memo that the holidays are over? Hilarious. There is a home in my neighborhood that is still all lit up at night…right out of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

This past week was filled with tons of client meetings over breakfast at the Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel, coffee in SOMA, and in the privacy of our historic offices. We admitted new members this week…a quick snapshot includes a handsome 32-year old 6’0″ guy who is passionate about surfing in his free time, a witty 33-year old male with a devilish smile and wildly impressive career (who has been a vegetarian his whole life), and a 50-something real estate professional who loves travel, his kids, and Bay Area living. We also had a lovely visit with a young mid 20’s MD female member who was so sweet to bring us the most decadent homemade cupcakes (flourless chocolate w sea salt and carmel and a coconut tropical unbelievably fabulous concoction!) As you can see we hated them. 😉

We spent a few hours conducting an in-home closet consultation for a vibrant, mature, and gorgeous 24-year old female. She hired us to edit her wardrobe, help her create looks (looks for work, work into dates, weekend wear, dressy styles etc). The great thing is that our client already has such an impressive wardrobe and everything she pretty much needs…it was just a matter of figuring out what works with what and helping her streamline things. Also her request and wish was to get her wearing color…not so much black all the time.

In working with our client, we also removed items that she has had since high school (yes high school..including her old prom dress…ok ok, she is only 24 years young!) and will be donating four huge garbage bags to Goodwill as a result. We put tons of looks together she already had in her closet (black 7 skinny jeans, silk Joie tank, paired with a tight Vince leather jacket zipped up accentuating her TINY waist and model physique, punchy colorful pashmina, black patent leather Louboutin pumps, and a great tote to top off her modern and very versatile look (so easy to transition from day to night). She was so impressed by our hard work, she’s hired us to come back this coming week for more wardrobe work. The famous, highly coveted red CL soles…

My assistant (who is a very skilled photographer among many of her talents) has been snapping pics of our client in her various ensembles and will be creating a beautiful look book to keep in her boudoir for when getting ready. Vince leather jacket on a model

It’s been busy with creative projects as well….speaking to lots of media folks from all around the globe…including entertaining folks up from LA and showing them the Silicon Valley life. Beyond this, lots of matchmaking and presenting clients with our match ideas. This week alone we’ve done a ton of really good matches and are excited to hear how those first dates go. I’ve learned so much from my clients this past month- fascinating trends we are seeing in Silicon Valley and lots of interesting stories.

Here’s to an exciting February ahead for everyone. Stay focused on your New Years resolutions and don’t start slipping now. I have just completed my annual health “cleanse” I do every Jan for 31 days (major cardio, super green diet, no diary, no bad carbs, no alcohol) and I feel GREAT. Even though I am looking forward to a glass of wine (or two!) tonight with friends in San Francisco, I am making sure to set strict rules for myself to stay focused and very disciplined as I enter February. Healthy living is a LIFESTYLE and in order to be at my best in my life, I know I have to do certain things (sufficient sleep, lot of good clean eating, restricting my so called vices (e.g, drinking ,sugar, cheese) working out with my trainer multiple times a week, and taking time off from the daily grind to reset).

If you want more information about my cleanse ping me. This is my 7th year doing it…and I’m hooked! I’m not the only one either- when I interviewed a young CEO on Thursday, he is doing a 90 day cleanse. He said he sleeps better, has total mental clarity, is happier, and much more balanced.

Fun and funky old school workout song for you to load onto the trusty ipod.

Searching for a Princess for our VIP| Are You His Match?

The question on the mind of most guys and gals as they embark on a first (blind) date is some form of “What’s he/she really like?” It’s certainly on my mind as I go to meet a woman for the first time, knowing only a few facts about her. So what am I really like?

I could tell you that I’m a pilot, a photographer and a lawyer, but that doesn’t tell you much about what I’m like. I could be a terrible pilot, an even worse photographer and a mean or incompetent lawyer. I could give you my basic demographics – 6ft, 195lbs, early 50’s, Caucasian male, no police record, born and raised a Texan. Fills in a couple blanks, I realize, but doesn’t say much about my personality. I could also provide you the usual laundry list of fun and fabulous activities in which I, like most other guys, regularly engage in the hopes of attracting attention — such as bungee jumping from a crop-duster, lion taming with a swizzle stick, or karaoke at Carnegie Hall. But as impressive as those activities are, they don’t convey much about my personality or my ability to be a good first date (let alone a good second or third date).

Perhaps if I told you what kind of princess charming I am searching for, that would tell you something about what I’m like. So, I could list all the fine and fantastic qualities I hope my princess charming will have – she is smart, sassy, self-assured, sensitive, single, sporty, spontaneous, sure-footed, sensible, and somewhere early 30’s to early 40’s. But really, what would that say about me? Nothing much except that I have laughably high expectations and a fondness for alliteration. And in any event, making such a list sounds a lot like writing out a shopping list and I don’t like shopping lists, even when I’m headed to Safeway or Costco. I guess that’s why I always forget at least one thing and have to make a second trip. But I drive a non-Prius electric car (I keep a spare just in case), so making multiple trips to the store doesn’t really contribute to global warming, except the utility company may have to pollute the environment to make the electricity for my car, so I guess I’m partly to blame for that, but I usually remember 3 or 4 new things to get on the second trip so it’s not really a wasted trip, and there’s always a need to go to Petco because my dogs consume so much food, but alas I digress. Now back to the subject at hand.

So instead of all that, let me offer for the next woman who happens to be thinking about meeting me on a first date some accurate information that might be useful to her in answering the aforementioned question. I will list a few principles which I use as a general guide on how I approach people and life, something similar to “Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handy”, only not as demented.

Perhaps this may provide some help in answering the “What’s he really like?” or “Is this the kind of guy I want to be stuck with over a two hour dinner?” question. Perhaps we already have some common ground. So here it is . . . .

1) Find the humor in any situation or person, no matter how grim or dull

2) Take your work, but not yourself, seriously

3) Be grateful for what you have, and thankful for what you do not

4) Treat everyone with sincerity and respect, but don’t take you-know-what from anybody

5) Be curious about all things, large medium and small and never stop learning something new

6) Everyone is trying to stay “one step ahead” – better to be three or four instead

7) Find compromise and pick your battles wisely, or you’ll end up fighting all your life

8) Avoid the extremes in all things, too much of anything is not a good thing (there are one or two exceptions we can discuss)

9) You learn about people by listening to them, you don’t learn when you’re talking

10) If you want the finer things in life, then work hard so you can afford them, but leave yourself plenty of time to enjoy them

And above all,

Make time to search out the great places in this Great Big World, places such as (these are photographs taken from our VIP)…The Grand Canyon at sunset, a changing symphony of light and shadows and color

Haleakala at sunrise, from the Pacific’s Mt. Olympus, above the clouds and the entire world

Monument Valley shrouded in clouds, appearing as it did millions of years ago

A hot air balloon festival, an endless colorful parade taking flight in the crisp morning air to the cheers of thousands

Cloud surfing on an ethereal blanket that scarcely conceals the earth below

Sunrise on the Dardanelles, floating between two continents, each rich with its own history and culture

If you have read this and you are wondering if you might qualify as a match for our VIP, email me: amy@linxdating.com. I have personally spent considerable time with our client and can attest to the fact that he is a genuinely warm, funny, quick witted, man who is truly a gentleman through and through. He’s masculine, chivalrous, successful, upbeat, and has made a nice home for himself in the Bay Area. The missing piece is the right match. Are you that girl? Email me if we’ve sparked your curiosity!

Women in Linx | Types of Women We Represent

I am often asked from men what type of women we represent at Linx and when we recruit for these guys (as a VIP client) what the structure of the so called castings are.

A very first step in our admission process is the vetting. I would want to make sure that a prospect of Linx adheres to the standards that Linx represents. Our clients are: well educated (75% have post graduate work completed from top universities), they are all professionals across a very wide range of industries, extremely well-rounded in their hobbies outside of career, dynamic, physically active (keeping healthy, fit, and balanced), and most importantly are commitment and marriage minded. These women are all ages (a huge populations in their 20’s and 30’s, followed by 40-60’s generally).

Just like Stanford, Harvard, or CAL rejects even the most brainy and accomplished applicants, we do have to filter out people who simply are not a good fit for this network.

Those who are not “good fits” could be based on them not being comfortable with the concept of a commitment, not liking the protocol, not leading a healthy lifestyle, or me sensing that she is not ready for true love. Sometimes candidates possess an extreme anxiety about wanting to meet “the one.” If we sense that their energy is too intense and their expectations totally unreasonable (about what they seek in a match and general timeline of getting matched, engaged, and married), we simply won’t work with them. If we did work with that person, she would be supremely unhappy and our magic would be dampened by stress and stifled by pressure.

It should be noted that we are one of the only matchmaking firms that represents females as clients. We have a huge demand for our services with attractive and brainy women. In Silicon Valley and metropolitan regions such as San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles, there is no shortage of extremely accomplished professional women who are looking for love and needing help in their personal lives.

Many women also submit their information everyday to meet our VIP clients. We do regular screenings for these hundreds of women who want us to screen them to see if they have that je ne sais quoi that many of our successful VIP gentleman look for in their dream girl.

The structure of the castings is what we call “Mini Meet and Greets.” These are individual appointments that a female who has qualified for the in-person session makes with our team. We do a short in-person screening with her getting to know the candidate and seeing if she is not only adhering to the overarching standards that Linx represents (per the above) but also is importantly very OPEN-MINDED and flexible with her ideal match criteria since she would simply be in the database where matches/introductions occur opportunistically and flexibility is key in order for her to be matched.

The women who submit their info to meet the VIPs can differ from those who are premium clients with respect to career. Some are not “as” successful, “hard charging”, and “Type A” as many of our premium female clients. Our premium female clients (just like the guys) want the exact same success they have achieved professionally yet now in their personal lives. The women who submit info to meet VIPs who qualify are not always MDs, corporate attorneys, and C-level execs. They might very well be teachers, nurses, in PR/marketing, assistants, and a wide range of other careers. That said, there are definitely less ambitious females who are premium clients and alpha females opting for a passive way to participate as well. In conclusion, the Linx network is extremely diverse with respect to every metric involved.