This is Your Life In Silicon Valley…

Do you love HBO’s Silicon Valley? Do you like reading about the latest technology trends? Then you’ll love this show, “This is Your Life In Silicon Valley.” Think of us as the real world/explain-it-how-it-is podcast for anyone with a Silicon Valley fetish. The Bay Area, San Francisco, and California in general are undergoing massive political and social change. Insiders, and Valley apologists liken the Silicon Valley to Rome during the Renaissance. This podcast examines life in the Valley by interviewing some of its most prominent insiders – both apologists and skeptics. We discuss the cultural quirks of living here, what to legitimately fear, what to feel excited about, and what is just plain weird. 😉

I am interviewed as an expert on matchmaking in the Bay Area, and explain why dating people in San Francisco may not be the best idea in the world. In this episode, I also dive into the nitty gritty — speaking specifically about who I would pair Mark Zuckerberg with if he were single.

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.”

What’s Happening in Silicon Valley?

Are you watching HBO’s “Silicon Valley”- last night was the second episode. It’s comical and entertaining into the lives of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs trying to build the next big thing! According to journalist Evelyn M. Rusli with the Wall Street Journal, it is not exactly accurate in terms of how fundraising in Silicon Valley really works though.

We’ve been so inundated here at Linx lately and there is SO much excitement. I JUST got news of another Linx engagement today…..I am seriously on cloud 9 for them. He proposed 9 months after their very first Linx date! Yeay! Yeay!

I also got word of another couple having a baby together….from a match that was made years ago. There were break-ups involved and now they are seriously back together, happy as clams, and with a baby on the way soon! That’s life for you. It’s uncertain, crazy at times, completely exciting, and fun.

We have a lot of great new clients in the network and it keeps growing by the day. We are in the midst of planning a summer Link & Drink….I know….can you believe it? The demand is huge for the next event. It has been 2.5 years since an actual Linx soiree and this one is going to be huge, fabulous, and THE summer event of the season. Stay tuned.

We are also gearing up for a massive VIP search for one phenomenal Silicon Valley bachelor client of ours. He’s young, he’s a CEO, good looking, and ready for marriage and babies. Bay Area ladies, stay tuned for major updates about this exciting opportunity we will be announcing soon.

On a different note, a lot of people ask me for “the” places to check out in the Valley.

I am contacted by media pretty much weekly to ask me about the Rosewood Sand Hill hotel. My honest opinion is that it still has cache and its best asset is the real estate. On a warm summer night, I will say it is a ton of fun to go there with a carefree attitude and mingle on the deck with a diverse group of men and women of all ages, backgrounds and, of course, agendas! 😉 Thursday nights have shifted a bit. I have gone there and the older female crowd is definitely on the prowl, yet other Thursdays are younger women and older men. Certainly some young techies do go there to see “who” is there and sometimes they rub elbows with an older mature woman. Many younger women go there on the hunt for their future husbands as well.

Why go there? Well, I think the actual restaurant is excellent for “power breakfasts”- VCs, entrepreneurs unite to talk deals and enjoy a beautiful setting for a 60 min breakfast at the hotel. Has a sort of New York feel to it in the sense of being time efficient and a place to bang out ideas/deals over eggs and French pressed coffee. It is very popular for this. Dinners- my personal opinion is the food is lacking for a Michelin star, the prices are way too high, appetizers better than the entrees. Wine list $$$ and worth it? Mixed feelings. So go their for summer cocktails al fresco, power breakfasts to ink a business deal…..

And what about other trendy spots to check out in Silicon Valley? Lure + Till is brand new. I think it is a hot spot for cocktails, fun appetizers, and a trendy afterwork scene that draws a younger crowd. The dinner menu is pretty limited, the service needs some work. A lot of techies go there, so be prepared for a more casual crowd, hoodies and all!

Reposado is definitely a happening spot- packed every night for dinner and the bar scene is hopping. We are very excited for Delfina opening soon…

Let’s not forget about The Four Seasons Palo Alto. It certainly is considered on the “wrong” side of Palo Alto but eclipses the Rosewood in terms of service and I think quality and sophistication of food. The bar scene is great and I’d really like to see a sort of renaissance happen by getting more people there, who remember what a quality experience the Four Seasons is, and how they really bend over backwards to make your experience 5 star (plus)- whether you are enjoying a wonderful glass of wine on a date and their fabulous pizzas or higher-end inside Quattro with an exceptional menu and service.

Just In! Another Match Me To!

From an anonymous female reader….

I’m loving your blog; Ben Rattray would definitely be be at the top of my list too. An attractive and intelligent man positively impacting the world? Yes, please!

Looks like a trend in Silicon Valley is that females are desiring the holistic embodiment of a guy. He is cute (wide ranging definition of course), intelligent, influential, dynamic, well rounded, and creating positive impact for the world around him. Are there more guys like Ben out there who might not be as well-known?

What Women Are Looking For in Silicon Valley- one perspective

A Linx blog reader submitted this information anonymously about her perspective on what she is looking as she is dating in Silicon Valley.

“Last Thursday, I went to the Rosewood after work for happy hour

Here’s what I am looking for in rank order:

1) A sexually attractive man. I don’t know that I would call it ‘beauty’. From the neck up, he doesn’t have to look like a model. But he MUST take care of his body – hit the gym regularly and not have a belly and be toned/have some muscle. When I was at Rosewood, I was amazed by the number of men who I just did not find sexually attractive. They may have great jobs, but they don’t take care of themselves. Men say they need to be attracted to a woman. Well I am no different, I need to be attracted to men.

2) Humble. Also, as I looked around, I was struck by the number of men who appeared to me to be self involved and arrogant. This is from observing their body language, facial expressions, and interactions. The true gem is the man who has an education and a good career, yet at the same time is humble. He is grounded. That tells me he has good values, is introspective, and is authentic with himself and others.

3) Mature. I went to a beer party at my tech company last week and I was struck that the majority of men at the beer event seemed like and looked like boys. From how they dressed, to how they groomed themselves, to their social skills. I know some executives in my department who are MEN, but they don’t go to these beer events. Maybe that’s why.”

Readers, what are you looking for as you are dating in and out of Silicon Valley? Do you agree? What might trump your wish list? Would love for you to send me an email and I can post anonymously too.