The Beatles famously sang that money can't buy you love. But six decades on, one exclusive Belgian matchmaking agency is putting that theory to the test, with prices for their bespoke search services starting at well over €100,000.
This article is part of The Brussels Times' dating series, which includes columns and interviews with experts, businesses and members of the public on all matters of the heart.
Born and bred in Antwerp, Inga Verbeeck, 47, first stepped into the world of matchmaking when her friends registered her at an agency in London for her birthday. She went on a couple of dates and liked the concept but thought she could do a better job herself.
In 2013, she launched Ivy Relations in her native Flanders – an exclusive matchmaking agency branded for "elite professionals". She has since gone global, with branches across Europe, and stretching as far as New York, Hong Kong and Dubai.
Why the exclusive approach? "I don't believe in in-betweens," Verbeeck said in an interview with The Brussels Times.
The Belgian CEO, who previously worked in the steel industry, said she wanted to create a "high value" and "scalable" business.
"Dating apps can work for people, although it's a bit of a jungle. But if you want to do matchmaking well, I don't think there's an in-between," she explained.
CEO of Ivy Relations, Inga Verbeeck. Credit: Ivy Relations
Ivy Relations' client base is roughly 80% male, Verbeeck said. The company has around 50 clients worldwide, ranging from 80 years old to tech entrepreneurs as young as 25. In Belgium, they currently have just two clients.
What sets Ivy Relations apart from other matchmaking agencies, she argues, is that her teams specialise in headhunting.
"Traditional agencies will have a pool of people, and they will make matches amongst them to the best of their abilities. What we do is quite different; each client is a project," she said.
Clients are assigned a team of three to four people, who get to know them, their life, their expectations for the project and how much time they are willing to invest. From there, they design a framework of the kind of partner they want and need.
They scout people who match this framework and will put together a portfolio of 45 detailed profiles, with photos and a mood board of facts about them and their characteristics. This then leads to nine "introductions". The process can take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on the client and their availability.
According to Verbeeck, the key is "to be able to source enough opportunities so that you can filter everything you want to filter to create the best potential matches."
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The teams organise the introductions. They advise starting with a dinner, but always leaving time the next day for a museum visit or walk if the night before goes well.
How does Ivy Relations go about finding these profiles? "Well, that's a little bit our secret," Verbeeck said, adding that her company contacts hundreds of people every week.
"It took me quite a few years to figure it out. But executive headhunters have their ways, their networks, their databases. What we do is similar."
Buying love, not Porsches
The million-dollar question: how much does it cost? It's not quite a million dollars, but these services also don't come cheap.
Ivy Relations' classic memberships start at €18,000, according to Verbeeck, which involves benefitting from the community rather than a bespoke search.
But a proactive, bespoke search, which requires more time, people and resources, starts at a jaw-dropping €125,000 – and can amount to significantly more: one client reportedly even paid around €300,000.
"It's up to the people themselves," Verbeeck said, adding that it depends on the number of profiles they want, among other factors.
Clients are provided with a breakdown of the initial amount, 30% of which is a start-up fee, but Ivy Relations declined to share this with The Brussels Times.
Verbeeck acknowledged that it was a high price point, but said it was an "investment" and a "choice people make".
"Instead of buying another Porsche to add to their collection, they're actually investing in finding the love of their life," she said.
"It's clearly not for everybody. We cater to a niche for sure. But it's a very effective, mindful way of finding the kind of person you want to find. Life is short, so you want to be proactive about it."
'Not for everybody'
In an era of growing wealth inequality, are business models such as Ivy Relations driving the divide and promoting elitism?
Despite branding itself as an agency for "elite professional men and women looking for the right person", Verbeeck denies that her business model is elitist.
"It's not elitist because we don't have a pool of very wealthy people who want to date amongst themselves. That's not what it is. I have clients who are investing in a search, and they want to find the love of their life. But our search is open. And honestly, in our search, wealth is not really an element," she said.
The CEO added that, although her services are for a "specific kind of person", the bespoke searches are based more on "values and personality".
"If you're going to buy a dress, you can buy one at Zara, or you can buy one at Chanel. So it's a choice, and it's not for everybody."
When we pointed out that many people do not have the option of buying a Chanel dress, Verbeeck responded, "I don't believe that everything has to be for everyone in this world. We don't cater for everybody."
Verbeeck believes there is a growing demand for her exclusive services. In her view, people are increasingly moving away from dating apps and are willing to invest more in their well-being and finding the right partner.
"Finding the right kind of partner is probably one of the most important decisions we make in a lifetime because that can influence so many things. So it's kind of strange why it would be considered odd to choose to invest in that," she told us.
Credit: Ivy Relations
But unlike purchasing a Porsche, an investment with Ivy Relations isn't risk-free. While her 90% success rates are impressively high, Verbeeck concedes that some unlucky souls won't find the love of their life.
She has never received a complaint from an unsuccessful client, as they recognise "the quality of the introductions" and that there is "a lot of work that is involved".
Though some may disagree, Verbeeck maintains that there is no price on love: "Loneliness doesn't know wealth. I have clients who have a ridiculous amount of money. But they're still lonely, and it hits the same."
Are companies such as Verbeeck's profiting off people's loneliness? She doesn't think so.
"You have to look at it as part of the solution, not part of the problem. Anything that helps in fighting loneliness and finding love is good. Yeah. Whether it's €100 or €10,000 or a €100,000. It's all very relative to what people have."
If you have a story to share of dating in the city, get in touch! i.vivian@brusselstimes.com
