Miami’s newest Tinder for meeting platonic soulmates – an app called Clyx – is changing how people can find and attend events while building new relationships.
Headquartered in Miami, Clyx allows users to personalize their profile and swipe on curated events. They can discover a wide range of communities filled with individuals of similar interests – and that is how matches are made. Clyx has a chat feature that allows its users to begin making genuine connections even prior to an event.
“Clyx has an algorithm that’s designed to match you with not only the best event, but also the person you’re most likely going to get along with,” says Clyx’s founder and CEO, Alyx van der Vorm.
Van der Vorm is a 23-year-old entrepreneur from London. In an interview with Girls’ C.E.O Connection, she said she had always wanted to attend college in the United States. In 2018, she was admitted to Harvard University, and moved to Massachusetts.
In her time at Harvard, van der Vorm was a John Harvard Scholar. This title is given to sophomores, juniors and seniors who are in the top 5 percent of their respective classes.
Although she prospered academically, van der Vorm struggled to meet like-minded people throughout her time in university. Seeing others experience the same frustration pushed her to create Clyx.
“I thought it was really miserable that most of social media is watching what other people are doing, rather than making our own plans,” said van der Vorm. “That definitely impacted my mental health from time to time.”
In 2021, van der Vorm raised a funding round for Clyx and dropped out of Harvard to pursue the new venture. She moved back to England, where she continued her studies at Oxford University. She began beta testing in London, until Miami Tech Month offered to transition Clyx’s HQ to Miami.
When moving to Miami, she focused on targeting Miami’s female market. Within the first six days of launch, there were over 6,000 event responses.
“I was really keen on building a community where girls could just come in and make friends while doing the things they love,” said van der Vorm.
Now there are over 12,000 downloads in the Miami area. They’re currently partnering and collaborating with groups like Hot Girl Walk Miami, The Miami Guide, and Brickell Babe Bible.
Clyx seeks to empower event creators and community leaders by encouraging them to build subscription-based communities. “If you run a community and are organizing events, you can charge a $2 subscription fee per month, or if you’re a creator who hosts events you can sell tickets,” says van der Vorm.
Clyx has a new up and coming partnership with Time Out Market in Miami Beach and plans to expand to Orlando are in the works. They’re set to launch in London this May.