If you’ve ever wondered how celebrities, especially popular actors, find dates, here’s the answer you’ve been searching for—meet ‘Raya’, the exclusive ‘celebrity only’ dating app that has been taking Bollywood by storm. If sources talking to the Indian Express are to be believed, the app boasts of a filmi clientele that includes Janhvi Kapoor, Neha Sharma and Vaani Kapoor amongst others.
Credit: Instagram/JanhviKapoor
What is Raya?
The invite-only app, which made its debut in 2015, was founded by David Gendelman. With the marketing strategy strictly restricted to word of mouth, the app has an 8% acceptance rate– lower than that of Harvard Business School. Talk about exclusivity!
The New York Times aptly calls the platform ‘Illuminati Tinder’ with Hollywood megastars like Channing Tatum, Demi Lovato, John Mayer, Lizzo, Cara Delevingne, Sharon Stone and the outed Ben Affleck as part of their exclusive gang.
The app is also said to be notoriously hush-hush. Exposing names of other members, taking screenshots or even tweeting about it can result in complete dismissal from the platform. Raya is meant to be as much about finding friendships as it is about finding love.
Credit: iOS App Store
It is only available on iOS, further creating a niche of privilege. “I tried to solve a big problem for a small amount of people,” Gendelman told the Times. He conceived the idea, unsurprisingly, after striking out on Tinder. But his vision, he said, was to create “somewhat of a digital Davos.”
Membership details, please!
Gendelman insists that several other professionals from a number of differing fields are also a part of Raya. The app, he told the Times, is “for passionate people anywhere in the world who have something they want to share with other members, and can do it in a respectful way.”
Credit: Giphy/Shameless
Every application is vetted by a pool of existing members—it can even take upto a few years for clearance. Decisions are made on the basis of digital impressions and referrals, or, as Gendelman told the Times, even if the applicant happens to be ‘rad’.
What do you feel about such an exclusive dating app? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Lead image credit: Instagram/Vaani_Kapoor + YouTube/JaniceSequeira
