Tinder for elites app The League launches in New York and only 2,500 people are allowed to use it
Founded by Stanford graduate Amanda Bradford, The League raised $2.1 million from Silicon Valley investors for a controversial take on dating. The app's goal is to make a more selective Tinder that's only for the most interesting and motivated single people in cities around the world. It's currently available in two cities, San Francisco and New York.
The company has come up with a secret algorithm that invites select users to access the app based primarily on their LinkedIn resumes and their friend networks. Ambition, Bradford says, is the biggest trait The League looks for within its community.
Since The League's launch, the app has gathered about 100,000 names on its waitlist; 16,000 of those people live in the New York City area.
Most of the New York waitlist consists of single professionals in finance and advertising.
The LeagueThe League's New York waitlist consists of mostly finance and advertising people.Since its January launch, San Franciscans have been matched more than 150,000 times on The League and Bradford says the app is growing 50% month over month. Users are also responding to 70% of the messages sent on The League. That may be because The League promises its users they won't find any "fixer-uppers" or dating duds in their feeds.
"The girls and guys on The League could all be presented to the rents without flinching, we promise," the startup says. "Our concierges have no qualms kicking bad-behaving people out (there's other apps for them)."
Only 2,500 New Yorkers are currently allowed to use The League. Each user is receiving two VIP passes they can extend to friends, who will be able to jump over the rest of the waitlist and join the app, regardless of The League's picky algorithm.
The League held a pre-launch party last Tuesday at the Jane hotel. Here are some of the single people who were there that you can find on the app - if you're worthy enough to get in:
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