THE LEAGUE, AN elitist and highly selective dating app for successful singles, is clearly not for everyone.
Calling itself the “Tinder for elites,” the app launched in San Francisco earlier this year, and a few months ago it launched in New York City.
Stanford graduate Amanda Bradford founded The League and raised $2.1 million with the goal of matching up highly motivated single professionals.
The League is hard to get into — the only way to get inside the app is by applying to a long waiting list or by snagging a VIP pass from someone who’s already a member and cutting the line. Someone in San Francisco has even tried selling their VIP pass for $100 on Craigslist.
At least one Business Insider employee has made the cut on The League, so we went inside to find out for ourselves what the app is really like to use.
This is Amanda Bradford. She founded The League with the goal of making power couples by matching up highly motivated single professionals.
The League launched in San Francisco earlier this year, and a few months ago it launched in New York City, too.
Right now the app is still in private beta in New York, but we were able to get a peek inside.
Before you can get into The League, you have to sign up. You’ll be put on a waiting list until you’re approved …
Once you’re finally in and load the app, here’s the first screen you see.
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Every day, you’re shown only five potential matches to whom you can say yes or no.
Like Tinder, you can swipe right to indicate you’re interested in someone or swipe left if you’d like to pass. Tap the icon on the top right corner to see your matches.
The League puts all your matches in one place. But unlike other dating apps, your matches on The League have an expiration date. If you don’t respond within three weeks, your match will disappear. You can also sort your matches by “best match,” “recent,” “popular,” and “least flaky.”
Every user on The League has a “concierge” who answers your questions about the app and lets you know about in-app updates.
Users set their preferences for matches. The League’s big promise is that you’re only shown other users who fit your specific criteria, and your profile will only be shown to others that fit your criteria, too. That criteria, apparently, includes gender, age, height, distance, education, and ethnicity.
Here’s Business Insider producer Sam Rega’s profile. You can see where he’s based (New York), his age and height, and his education, profession, and interests. Tap on the icon on the top left corner, and you’ll be shown the app’s menu.
Here’s Sam’s profile. You can add pictures of yourself, along with as much or as little biographical information as you’d like.
Other users are shown where you work and your interests, too.
Here’s the full menu. You can look at your potential matches for the day, check out the people you’ve been matched with already, look at your own profile, and more.
Under “settings,” you can see information like how many of your friends are on The League, how many VIP tickets you have (VIP tickets let you invite friends to “jump the line” and get into The League), and when you joined.
When you’ve exhausted the five people you’ve been shown that day, here’s the message you’re shown. You’re shown a new batch of people each day at 5 p.m. Also note the blue dot in the upper right corner — that means you have an alert in your matches (either a new match or new message).
When you match with someone, you can choose to chat with them, or keep swiping through your potential matches.
See the clock symbol in the upper right corner? You can use it to make a match expire, or to essentially unmatch someone. This is the pop-up that appears when you tap the clock symbol.
In terms of app design, The League isn’t all that different from the dating apps you’re probably already familiar with. Bradford’s ultimate goal is to match tonnes of power couples, and that sets it apart.
- Maya Kosoff for Business Insider.
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