The Power of Networking

In December 2001, when I first moved to the DC area from San Francisco, I knew very little about networking ... social, professional, or otherwise. However, I knew that I would have to build up a new "network," since I only had 3 contacts in this new sandbox I'd jumped into. I was told that I should check out a local group called Netpreneur, which put on events to connect/educate tech entrepreneurs.

At the first Netpreneur event I attended in January 2002, I met a guy named Joe Walsh, who was about 2 weeks away from starting a new job at a VA-funded non-profit called the Center for Innovative Technology. He has since moved on to greener pastures, but in the meantime he became my friend and made some terrific introductions for me.

Perhaps most important, we learned about the power of networking, which really hit home this week when I returned from a terrific business trip to Los Angeles.

So, check out this cool chain of relationships:

Link #1: From Joe to Mary (2002)

Joe introduced me to Mary MacPherson, the multi-talented professional running Netpreneur. When the group decided to sunset its offerings a few years ago, Mary went on to head up marketing for Blackboard and she's currently building up her own consulting practice.

Link #2: From Mary to Andy (2003)

Mary introduced me to a guy named Andy Forbes, who is a fixture on the local DC area tech startup circuit. Andy and I have also become friends, co-networkers, and even co-workers for a while at NuRide (Joe introduced me to the Founder/CEO, too!).

Link #3: From Andy to Ben (April 2007)

Andy is a LinkedIn power user, so it was only natural that through LinkedIn he met Ben Cianciaruso, a local tech entrepreneur. Ben had recently sold his last company and was looking for a new opportunity. So, Andy introduced me to Ben.

Link #4: From Ben to Evan (June 2007)

I introduced Ben to John May, a guru on angel investing, Chairman of the Angel Capital Association, and founder of New Vantage Group. Ben attended one of John's monthly deal screening meetings. At that meeting, Ben briefly met Evan Loomis, who had recently taken over operations for The Wedgwood Circle, a national angel investor network focused on the arts (film, tv, music, theatre, publishing, etc.). Since I was in the process of trying to find funding for a friend's slate of three feature films, Ben introduced me to Evan.

Link #5: From Evan to Dane (July 2007)

Evan introduced me to Dane West, a local DC area former tech entrepreneur who had been working in the entertainment industry for a few years. He was co-chairman of a group called the Independent Producers' Alliance, which had just closed a $60M film production fund.

Link #6: From Dane to Marcia (October 2007)

Dane introduced me to Marcia Allen, his LA-based i-banker who helped him negotiate his IPA fund deal. This is who I met with last Monday. She's a wonderful woman with an incredible professional track record.

Link #7: From Marcia to ... ?

If all goes well, we will likely retain Marcia's firm to introduce us to her friends on Wall Street, and hopefully we can strike a deal with them. If not them, then I'm sure that Marcia can help us find other partners. If not her, then I'm sure that we'll eventually find what we need/want through continued networking.

There you have it! A multi-link networking chain that crossed the country and included both virtual and physical meetings. Yes, I may have known very little about networking six years ago, but I'm really starting to see the importance of it now!