Valentine's Day is the only holiday that divides the world into
successes and failures -- on this day you either have a valentine, or
you don't. And while many couples have come to regard the whole thing
as a Hallmark hookup -- a prix fixe pain in the "But honey, I forgot
to make reservations" -- that's easy for them to say. They have
somebody.
Being on the losing side of yet another Valentine's Day is
particularly painful in Silicon Valley. Here, men with sketchy
grooming habits and a tendency to talk too summa cum loudly when
trying to meet women frequently find that their successes in business
don't prevent them from being romantic rejects.
While many of the valley's lovelorn have tried to find each other
using the algorithm method -- subscribing to dating services such as
Match.com and eHarmony -- some have gone positively medieval, turning
their love lives over to matchmakers.
When Amy Andersen noted this pool of unrequited love in 2003, she
opened Linx Dating, a personalized matchmaking service that attempts
to connect Silicon Valley men with "gorgeous," "attractive San
Francisco women."
Andersen rescues laptop lonely hearts by introducing millionerd frogs
to Junior League princesses, often transforming the men with the help
of hair and wardrobe consultants.
Love-starved clients sometimes endure "mock date" coaching sessions
that prepare them for the real thing. "My job is to serve as their
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VP of marketing," Andersen said shortly before one of these ardent
tutorials. "We are strategizing about what to wear, what not to wear,
what to say, how to act, sound bites, areas to stay away from."
