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Networking VCs
By Adam | April 9, 2007
In Part I of Sarah’s look at the venture capital process outside of
Early stage investor Guy Kawasaki had a great post last week that revealed some strategies to overcome this seemingly daunting task. Here are his suggestions:
- Get an introduction by a partner-level lawyer
- Get an introduction by a professor of engineering
- Get an introduction by the founder of a company in the venture capitalist’s portfolio
- Show success
- Make sure your company is in the right space
- Use a short email
To strengthen your base of contacts, the best thing I have found is to get out of your comfort zone and simply put yourself out there. Go to the next ‘Chamber of Commerce’ meeting in your city; strike up a conversation with an entrepreneur you know; sit in on a key note presentation at your local university; post your thoughts on a startup portal; cold call a company you respect. While it can be nerve racking initially, these simple first steps lead to a chain reaction of connections and knowledge sharing.
Topics: VC |
