David Vermeulen, founder & CEO Inner Circle: 'I believe nothing works immediately, the start was a bumpy road'

With offices in Amsterdam and London, David Vermeulen started the popular international online dating app Inner Circle eleven years ago. The CEO and founder of the Dutch company conquered the dating market with the credo: quality dating for like-minded people. More than four million members later, it is time to conquer the South American market, opening offices in Buenos Aires and São Paulo. Who captured David's entrepreneurial heart? Who was his driving force?

Started with offices in Amsterdam and London David Vermeulen the popular international online dating app eleven years ago Inner Circle. The CEO and founder of the Dutch company conquered the dating market with the credo: 'quality dating for like-minded people'. More than four million members later, it is time to conquer the South American market, opening offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina and São Paolo, Brazil. Who captured David's entrepreneurial heart? Who was his wheelbarrow?Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Inner Circle

What was your very first part-time job?

“My first part-time job was at the Municipal Museum in The Hague. I was an attendant and had to make sure no one touched anything. No one wanted to do this work because it was quite boring, so the pay was good. When I went to study Business Administration in Groningen, I started 'De Groninger Studenten Sushi Catering' together with my partner. This became a big drama, because at that time sushi was not as popular as it is now. There were a number of students who ordered this, but that was really all there was to it!

After my studies I ended up in the publishing world. I started at F1 Racing, then Maxim, FHM and Esquire. At the latter two I was magazine manager and ran the marketing department.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“After a while I left for London to work at Unibet. Here I was responsible for the Dutch market. At one point I started my own business in the English capital, I founded Sullivan's List on. An online platform where travel, events and lifestyle came together. In short, this was a collection of the hundred most beautiful events in the world. While I was running this platform I was single and I discovered that there was actually no platform where singles met each other with the credo 'dating for like-minded people'. Inner Circle was a fact in 2011."

And the rest is history..?

“I believe that nothing works right away, the start was one bumpy road. We were immediately active in Amsterdam and London and noticed that Amsterdam was relatively difficult at the beginning. People really had to be enthusiastic, while in a number of other international cities things happened much faster.”

Do you see yourself as the benchmark person for Inner Circle?

“Inner Circle was originally created with the idea of ​​developing a platform that I would use myself. I like to travel and eat out. On Inner Circle you can indicate which countries you like to visit and you can also add your favorite restaurants and bars.”

By the way, did you meet your wife through Inner Circle?

“I would have liked to say 'yes' to this, but unfortunately I did not meet my wife through Inner Circle. My wife and I met through contact. So a kind of offline Inner Circle!”

Who was your wheelbarrow?

“I have benefited greatly from reading business and management books in my career. Stephen Covey stands out with the book The 7 habits of highly effective people. They are seven simple rules that I printed out and taped to the edge of my monitor. 'Be proactive and start with the end in mind'. It is a kind of mantra that has brought me a lot. A simple look at achieving goals effectively. For me, this is actually the basis of entrepreneurship.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“The nice thing about our work at Inner Circle is that we change the lives of many people. We occasionally receive birth announcements and wedding announcements from ex-members who met their true love through the app. That makes this work fun!”

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“What I have learned during my career is that nothing goes the way you initially envision it. Everything happens differently and that doesn't really matter. As an entrepreneur you should also just go for something, not think too much. Just go!” 

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“If you have an idea, just try it. It doesn't matter if you fail. If you haven't tried it, you never know what the end result will be.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I try to help young entrepreneurs with their start-ups and push them in the right direction. So I want to help young talent with advice and investments the next level. "