The science of great connections

Progress has always been about people

From early communities trading skills to Renaissance artists seeking their next patron, history moves forward when the right people find each other. It's rarely about lone genius. It's about the spark that happens when ideas, perspectives, and passions collide. And yet, for something so foundational, modern-day networking often feels like a chore. When my co-founder and I started building Flynt, we kept hearing the same thing: "I know I should network more, but it just feels like a waste of time" Too many connections die after a round of small talk. They never get off the ground. Not because people don't want to connect, but because the spark just isn't there. So we started asking:

What actually makes a great match?

We believe it comes down to three things:

• Matching on what drives you (not just what you do)
• Balancing relevance with serendipity (a healthy dose of the unexpected)
• Focusing on where you're going (not just where you are)

That's what Flynt is built around. Our 80/20 matchmaking formula is designed to give you both:

• 80% of matches that make sense professionally
• 20% that make magic unexpectedly

How our system works

The human layer: what really drives you

Every match begins by asking what makes you tick? Job titles tell us what someone does. But they don't tell us why. What lights them up? What kinds of problems keep them up at night? We build a human layer on top of every match by looking at things like:

• Career aspirations
• Motivational drivers
• Conversation styles
• Causes they care about

This is what turns a polite intro into something deeper. It's the difference between, "So, what do you do?" and "What are you trying to solve?" That kind of emotional alignment — the sense that someone actually understands where you're coming from — is what makes a conversation stick.

The foundation: base relevance (80%)

Of course, relevance matters. No one wants to be matched with someone completely outside their orbit. We use a similarity engine to make sure every connection starts from solid ground. Your professional background gets translated into a rich mathematical profile we call your professional DNA. Using cosine similarity, we identify people whose experiences and skill sets align with yours. These are the matches that feel intuitive. People you could collaborate with, learn from, or bounce ideas off of. People who speak your professional language.

The spark: scientific serendipity (20%)

But relevance alone isn't enough. Some of the most exciting breakthroughs happen when you meet someone just different enough to unlock a new idea. So we built a system that actively looks for those high-potential collisions. We analyse patterns of surprising but successful collaborations across industries, disciplines, and roles. Here's an example:

A data scientist who specialises in experimentation gets matched with a designer building tools for experimentation workflows. Different roles, different expertise, but they're solving the same problem from opposite angles.

That's the kind of scientific serendipity we want to make happen. Connections that don't just make sense, but create sparks.

Smarter every day

Here's the part we're most excited about. Our system doesn't just match people. It learns what makes great matches over time. We use network optimisation to improve outcomes for the whole community, not just one person at a time. And as we get feedback on matches, the algorithm adjusts. If cross-industry connections are leading to big outcomes, their compatibility scores increase. It starts with smart assumptions. Then real-world feedback teaches it what excellence actually looks like.

Why this matters

We're not just building a better networking tool. We're trying to restore a sense of possibility to professional connection. Because somewhere out there is a person who could:

• Help you solve a problem you've been stuck on
• Open a door you didn't know existed
• Simply make the journey more energising

Our goal at Flynt is to help you find the people who will help you build the future. We believe the next breakthrough isn't just about being in the right place. It's about meeting the right person. And we're here to help make that introduction happen.