We Asked Silicon Valley's Top Matchmaker To Find The Most Eligible Singles In Tech - Here's What She Came Up With
No one knows Silicon Valley dating better than Amy Andersen.
Andersen founded Menlo Park-based matchmaking service Linx Dating in 2000, after observing that many professionals were having trouble navigating the often complicated Silicon Valley dating scene.
Since then, she's built an impressive dating network, helping hundreds of people in the Bay Area meet potential matches. She estimates that about half of her clients work at tech companies, including Facebook, Box, Google, LinkedIn, and Cisco, among others.
Though she wouldn't reveal her clients' names for confidentiality reasons, Andersen tapped into her network to find the most eligible singles in Silicon Valley right now.
Kristina Simmons, 26
Courtesy of Kristina SimmonsPreviously a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Simmons is currently part of a team building a new stealth tech company.
She loves tech, but in her spare time she does yoga and is a self-professed health nut.
"I'd love to see Kristina with an equally dynamic powerhouse who can keep up with her in life, and with an athletic prowess to boot!" Andersen said.
Jonathan Siddharth, 30
Courtesy of Jonathan SiddharthSiddharth is the founder and co-CEO of Flipora, a personalized web discovery engine.
While a grad student at Stanford, he won the best Masters' Thesis Award in Computer Science for his work on web-scale near-duplicate document detection.
According to Andersen, "He loves auto racing and Formula 1 and is feared for his terrible puns."
Melissa Taunton, 39
Courtesy of Melissa Taunton Taunton is a partner at Khosla Ventures."When Melissa's not finding the perfect match for one of her portfolio companies, you can find her adventuring in some part of the globe," Andersen said.
Recent trips have included riding an elephant in Thailand, volunteering for disaster relief in Haiti, and sleeping in a tent in her native South Africa.
Brian Goffman, '40s'
Courtesy of Brian GoffmanFormerly a VP of Global Enterprise Marketing at LinkedIn, Goffman is currently a venture partner at Technology Crossover Ventures. Before LinkedIn, he was the CEO of digital marketing software company Optify.
He was a varsity heavyweight rower at Harvard, lived in Paris after college, and loves to cook.
"I'd like to see Brian with a very kind, creative, and sexy match," Andersen said.
Cathy Edwards, 32
Courtesy of Cathy Edwards Edwards is the cofounder and former CTO of Chomp, an app search and discovery platform that was acquired by Apple in 2012. She then went on to work as a director of engineering at Apple before leaving the company earlier this year.Originally from Australia, she's passionate about food, wine, and travel, and she once spent a summer painting in Paris.
"I'd like to see Cathy with someone who is very smart, empathetic, and has a nice down-to-earth sensibility," Andersen said.
Noah Lewis, 39
Courtesy of Noah Lewis Lewis is a managing director at GE Ventures, where he focuses on disease management business models. He previously worked for IBM and led corporate strategy for a division at GE."I'd like to see Noah with an incredibly kind, curious, energetic, and quick-witted match! Someone to keep him on his toes," Andersen said.
He plays polo, likes country music, and is an avid cyclist.
Baris Karadogan, 42
Courtesy of Baris Karadogan Karadogan is currently the CEO of online marketing company Hip Digital Media. He also previously worked as an engineer at U.S. Robotics and a venture capitalist at U.S. Venture Partners and Fuse Capital.He's a father of four kids, an avid tennis player, and a world traveler who recently spent two weeks in the jungles of New Guinea.
According to Andersen, Karadogan is an" ex-coder self-described as both geeky and social ... I'd really like to see Baris with an incredibly warm-hearted, intellectual, and family centric woman."
Raymond Choi, 29
Courtesy of Raymond Choi Choi is a venture partner at the Valley Fund. He graduated from Stanford's School of Medicine in 2013 and is the cofounder of health information company Lifesquare.He plays table tennis and has traveled to Hong Kong, Scotland, and Guyana.
"I'd like to see Raymond with a girl who is independent, super smart, family-oriented, and poised," Andersen said. "She needs to be able to handle any situation in a graceful way.