Feeld CEO Ana Kirova on Skincare, Saltburn, and Sexual Awakenings

Late last year, as it celebrated its nine-year anniversary, the kink- and curiosity-friendly dating app Feeld underwent a comprehensive rebrand, overhauling its logo and interface and announcing an IRL 24-hour, multi-city party to bring its members face to face with one another. The woman behind it all is Ana Kirova, who joined the company in 2014 before taking over as CEO in 2021. On Feeld—which in 2023 reported a 520% increase in the number of Boomers looking for threesomes—one can self-identify as any of more than a dozen different orientations, gender identifications, and particular sexual “desires,” from bondage and submission to polyamory and watching. Kirova, 31, espouses a similarly open-minded theory of human desire. “I felt crushes and attractions for all sorts of people and I wondered why,” she told us of  her own personal transformation after moving to London in 2011. “It was like a gradual opening of a flower, that coming to terms with my deep fascination with humans.” Fittingly, the morning of Valentine’s Day, we slid into her DM’s to talk non-monogamy, foot fetishes, and our favorite on-screen sex scenes for a special lover’s edition of Search History.

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JAKE NEVINS: Morning, Ana! Welcome to Search History. 

ANA KIROVA: Hi Jake! Excited to be here. 

NEVINS: Let’s jump right into in. A/S/L? 

KIROVA: 31, woman, Porto (Portugal). 

NEVINS: What’s in your system right now? 

KIROVA: Lots of green tea (sencha) and some sourdough bread. 

NEVINS: What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? 

KIROVA: I wash my face and put some nice cream on, I meditate, look at the sky for a bit and brew my tea (I’m a tea snob). Then I dive into whatever my phone has to offer. 

NEVINS: Speaking of your phone, can you share a screenshot of your last three Google searches? 

KIROVA:

NEVINS: Are you excited for Renaissance Act II? 

KIROVA: Not a big fan of being physically at such scale performances, but I’m excited to watch it from home and see all the outfits & glory. 

NEVINS: Happy Valentine’s Day, by the way. What’s your fondest V-Day memory? 

KIROVA: Ohhh yes, happy V-day to you too! I think it must be the one time I decided to give V-day gifts to my best friend in high school. We both felt so original and cool to do it (we were single). Thinking back about it, it was amazing and I love us for having done that. 

NEVINS: Friendship is romantic! 

KIROVA: It’s true love. 

NEVINS: What’s your worst V-Day memory? 

KIROVA: Ohhhh damn. It involves flowers I threw away and some sex drama. Again in high school. 

NEVINS: Yikes. Okay, I’m going to ask you to complete this poem on the fly… Roses are red, violets are blue… 

KIROVA: Beauty is everywhere and inside you. 

NEVINS: You killed that.

KIROVA: Aw. 

NEVINS: What’s the best testimony you’ve heard from a Feeld user? 

KIROVA: Omg so many come to mind! I was giving a talk somewhere and there was a woman waiting to speak to me at the end. She spoke through happy tears that Feeld was the first place where she felt welcome to explore her sexuality without fear of being judged or sexualized. I didn’t know what to say, it was beautiful and I thanked her for sharing it. 

NEVINS: That must be gratifying. 

KIROVA: It’s why we do what we do. 

NEVINS: You joined the company in 2021, but I’m curious if you can recall your first realization that sexuality wasn’t so cut and dry…

KIROVA: Oh this must have happened a long time ago. Maybe in my first year in London, so around 2011-12? I felt crushes and attractions for all sorts of people and I wondered why. I just accepted that’s the way I am and I will make the most of it, enjoy it, and be curious about humans regardless of their gender or sexuality. It was like a gradual opening of a flower, that coming to terms with my deep fascination with humans. 

NEVINS: That’s beautifully put. For me, it was Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers.

KIROVA: I must have seen that movie like 9834 times.

NEVINS: Anyway, what’s the biggest misconception about non-monogamy?

KIROVA: That it’s all about sex. That, and that it will “fix” a dysfunctional monogamous relationship. 

NEVINS: Well, what is the best way to fix a dysfunctional relationship?

KIROVA: Well, relationships breathe, they grow and evolve over time. We might feel close and aligned with someone, then not so much. I personally avoid language around fixing, repairing etc, because it assumes a coming back to another time or state, which is impossible. If a relationship doesn’t feel fulfilling, or we feel distant from someone we wish we were closer to, the best approach is always communication – sometimes we stop communicating with our closest people, because we take for granted they can read our minds. No one can. Openness, frequent communication, vulnerability and questions and curiosity. We change and evolve, so we need to be curious about the people we love and cherish — what moves them, what’s affecting them. When we stop being curious is usually when distance starts to grow. 

NEVINS: Wise words, Ana! Before we move on, a quick fit check?

KIROVA:

NEVINS: There’s a school of thought that Gen-Z has become a bit prudish when it comes to sex. Do you agree?

KIROVA: Mmmmm I’m skeptical. I mean check out the Saltburn memes and boom, I’m pretty sure it’s mostly Gen-Z folks generating all the buzz and love for it. 

NEVINS: On the topic of Saltburn, what’s your all-time favorite movie sex scene?

KIROVA: All the sex scenes from Passages. Have you seen it?

NEVINS: We love Passages. 

KIROVA: WE DO. 

NEVINS: What’s the best part about being CEO of Feeld? And what’s the hardest?

KIROVA: Love this question. One of the best parts has to be that I can be myself. I’ve had the opportunity to meet CEOs and influential people over the last couple of years, and I’ve seen how some people’s jobs require the individuals in those jobs to play roles and hide parts of themselves. I’ve so far never had to do that in this role. Another amazing part is the people I get to work with and for – our team and our members. Incredible humans. The hardest part is how I spend my time effectively, making sure I don’t get lost in work. that, and scaling a global company. it’s just hard, there’s no blueprint. but I am lucky to be doing it with the best people ever, so we’re all growing together.

NEVINS: Like a beautiful polycule.

KIROVA: That’s peak cringe and cute at once.

NEVINS: Feeld users can identify various kinks that interest them. What’s one that I’d be surprised to find is popular?

KIROVA: It’s not a kink per se, but it’s one of our popular desires: friendships. I think it would be a surprise that it’s popular, because there’s an assumption Feeld is used to meet people for other reasons, not to make friends. But a very big part of our community is seeking platonic relationships on Feeld, and or a community to feel a part of. I’ve personally made some lifelong friends on Feeld. 

NEVINS: Also, we’re friends now.

KIROVA: I hope so!

NEVINS: In your opinion, what’s the most generally derided or underrated kink?

KIROVA: Hmmmmmmm. I feel like any kink which involves a fetish tends to make people without fetishes feel uncomfortable. Think latex, feet etc. If you explore that discomfort, you’d often find it comes from lack of knowledge or curiosity for the experience of living with a fetish. Period sex is probably also something many people feel weird about. Full circle to Saltburn.

NEVINS: It all comes back to Saltburn, which has birthed quite a few memes. That leads me to my final question: what’s your favorite meme? And can you send it to me?

KIROVA: Yuup, one sec!

NEVINS: Hahahaha.

KIROVA: Idk why, but this came to mind. In 10 mins it might be something else.

NEVINS: Well, Ana. You aced Search History. Thanks for taking part and happy Valentine’s Day.

KIROVA: Thank you so much, Jake!