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“Linx”:http://www.linxdating.com is an invite-only Bay Area based dating and social networking society that links high caliber professionals to one another through traditional approaches as well as through exclusive “Link and Drink” parties. Based on a large network of friends and referrals to their friends, Linx is able to maintain its exclusivity. Amy Andersen is from Marin County, and currently resides in Palo Alto. When not linking couples, she loves entertaining, running, films, volunteer work, time with family and collaborating with other entrepreneurs. She plans to get a dachshund puppy in 2007.

I see that linxdating is quite selective. What do you look for in an eligible individual?

Linx prides itself in working with the top 25% of the population of eligible men and women. For Linx, we look at individuals who represent what we call “high caliber eligible professionals.” Basically, everyone is referred into the network by an existing member who acts as their sponsor. To qualify for admission, a prospect must meet the academic requirements of having at least undergraduate education being completed. At this point, over 75% of those who apply have some sort of post graduate work, i.e., many members have their MBAs, MD, JD, PhD. Additionally, everyone must be a professional and going places in their career. Furthermore, we don’t want to work with workaholics who would have zero time for a relationship, so finding people who are extremely well rounded and pursing multiple interests outside of their career is paramount. Next, all prospects must have done something “truly exceptional” in their lifetime so far. These accomplishments range from former Olympians, authors, founders, nonprofit leaders, or raising a child on their own while juggling graduate school and full time work. The final component behind admission is making sure each applicant is physically fit and attractive. If we are trying to locate mates for life, it is important that every member lead a healthy lifestyle where fitness and one’s image is a pillar in their daily life.

What has been the most fun for you in developing this site?

To backtrack a little, full time I am founder and CEO of Linx Dating LLC which is the private offline dating and social networking society I speak about above. For the past year, I have managed to put together a very seasoned advisory board for my online project, which basically carries over successful core principles from my offline venture, yet to the online world. Thus far, I would say the most fun at developing the site had been articulating all my ideas into a working wiki which helps me visualize my ideas better and allows my board to understand my concepts. Additionally, we have built a great propriety database which will be compelling to investors (so I hope).

How do you see the site growing over the next few years? Are you planning to expand to other regions or keep the project here in the Bay area?

As an entrepreneur, I face an interesting dilemma that I am sure many reading this can agree with. It is an issue of time management and bandwidth. For Linx, it is a lot to juggle running my successful offline business (that has been in business 3 years this month), while finding time in the day to focus on the “larger” picture being that of scaling the business and launching a second venture. My short term goals right now are to locate a great co-founder who is as (if not more) passionate about the world of matchmaking as I am. This talented co-founder can help me spearhead the online project and have a solid working knowledge of the technical side of the internet, as well as, some business experience. For instance, if I could be introduced to a person who has a CS background but with an MBA from a top school, like Stanford, would be amazing. Someone who is not fearful of the sometimes uncertainty that a start-up environment brings would be great. Once I locate this sharp and dedicated co-founder, we will work on the financing aspect of taking the venture to the next level and start pitching for funding. So far Linx has been totally self funded, which I am rather proud about. If anyone reading this would like to be considered for a co-founder position, please email me. Thank you.

When ready, the site will grow virally (no plans to advertise, just like the offline model) and will be validated in this market (the Bay Area). An entrepreneur can only be so lucky to have a concept roll into other markets and gain traction. If it does, I already feel blessed. If not, I feel like I am already helping an underserved market, the opportunity to meet like-minded men and women one match at a time.

Bonus: Do you have a horror story about someone totally crazy who came in to interview?

I guess I feel pretty lucky, since Linx is referral based and based on my trusted network of friends that the deal flow of new business have been reputable and amazing professionals. That being said, there is not one specific nutty person who has interviewed with me, but more a myriad of interesting situations to share. From men that half way through the interview say, “What about us together baby?”, or people that “panic” over the formality of the legal membership agreement that all members have to sign, or a guy when I first started my business who refused to take his date to dinner. He said, “No, I think I will take her for a walk instead.” I kicked him out of the network as fast as possible. Linx is about re-instilling the concept of modern day chivalry, courtship, and the fun rituals of dating. Someone who has an issue abiding by this simple request to do dinner dates, I guess constitutes as a crazy person who I met with.

Copyright © 2006 by Sonia Aggarwal