Fed up with swiping, ghosting and catfishing? La Vette Social Club, a new dating “ecosystem,” aims to combine the convenience of online dating with the magic of spontaneously meeting someone in-person — and it includes mechanisms to prevent disappointing or scary experiences while encouraging conscious connection.
How Online Dating With La Vette Works
You have to go through an application process to join La Vette. Users are vetted through a hard background check as well as through their videos – the platform is video-only, and a “vibe video” where you describe yourself in three words replaces your profile pic. The community is curated for honesty, openness and self-awareness, not status, degree or social following.
Once you’re vetted, you can explore the six virtual dating spaces available. Each space offers something a little different, from meditation sessions to comedy nights. These experiences are hosted live so you can meet other members and make spontaneous connections. If you vibe with someone, invite them to join a two-minute private video chat bubble – it’s the equivalent of grabbing a drink at the bar, and it’s a short conversation so you don’t feel trapped. If you hit it off, ask them to go on a longer virtual 1:1 date.
Too nervous to come up with interesting topics of discussion? You can choose to use prompts that will facilitate deep conversations.
“Creating a genuine connection is a learnable skill, and La Vette systematizes it. Our Virtual Vibe Check system allows members to go on auto-facilitated video dates that draw on thousands of rapport-building questions. No more getting stuck on the surface, these questions are designed to drop you deeply,” says Mia Lux, CEO and co-founder of La Vette Social Club.
There are other ways to interact with people on the app too, from an algorithm that introduces you to potential matches to chats with daily prompts that create social opportunities. And you can always browse profiles.
Solving Common Dating Pain Points
The platform is built around solving common dating pain points. Showing up on video raises the stakes because it already requires a certain level of emotional vulnerability that you just won’t find on regular apps. Plus, you get a better idea of what a person actually is like in real life beyond a super edited selfie.
Women regularly experience forms of harassment on dating apps, from unsolicited explicit pictures to verbal abuse, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. La Vette’s background check feature adds a layer of accountability to online dating to prevent these experiences.
There is also an anti-ghosting system to encourage transparency. “The rule is you must let someone know if you are in or out by clicking one of the buttons, but we handle the hard part. Once users have made their selections, the messages come from La Vette,” says Lux.
Intentional dating
All these elements are meant to attract intentional daters – people who don’t resonate with superficial encounters and crave real human connection.
“Self-awareness is the new sexy (in a Hinge study, 91% of users said they wanted to date someone who goes to therapy!),” says Lux. “Helping people create healthy relationships is key to La Vette and our virtual experiences not only get members connected but give them the tools and support to set them up for success in their dating lives.”
According to her, intentional dating involves two things: discovering what you want and being deliberate about creating it. La Vette’s co-founder, Lauren Handel-Zander, designed an intentional dating framework called the 3Hs, which is built into the platform.
“Members write out what they want in each area of attraction – the Head, Heart and Hoo-Ha – and after each date, they complete a quick personal reflection of the experience. This helps members learn as they date, getting clearer on what works and smarter about choosing it.”
At the end of the day, the platform has unique features, but what matters the most is showing up authentically. The truer to yourself you are, the higher your chances of meeting someone with whom you can build a fulfilling relationship.
