How can you expand your deal sourcing network and relationships?

Your brand is the sum of all of your interactions. Your interactions define whether or not you add value and the manner in which you do so. As your career progresses, if you consistently lived by: - doing the right thing - treating everyone with respect & dignity - energizing people through contact with you - solving others' problems - delivering on their needs ...then those interactions will invariably come back to you. Many of those interactions will create reverse inquiry because the more flexibility leaders have in their positions, the more they only want to do business with value add people they like. Invest in others throughout your career and you will see the returns.

By contributing your thoughts and strategies to these very LinkedIn articles. You will attract the attention of like-minded investors. Which will usually open up syndication opportunities for like-minded deals.

Souring strategy depends on the stage at which you as a VC come on board and invest: 1) If its an angel, Pre-seed, seed VC: You need to have thick relationship with in angel networks, CXOs and founder networks. Also they need to have scouts in the MNCs and late stage start-ups as well. 2) If its a pre-series A and Series A,B VC: You need to have relationships with late stage founders and all the VCs covered in point 1 above. 3)Late stage VCs: There are only handful of deals at this stage in the market, VC just need to have a good brand to attract these deals. At this stage VC doesn't select founders but its the other way round.

Building a robust dealing sourcing pipeline takes time. However, some of the best sources come from catch-ups with co-investor syndicates, founder referrals (if you're a great investor and human, founders will always let other founders know they should reach out to you), and insightful thought leadership in media on current and unique emerging trends in the vertical you're investing in!

To be a good VC, you have to genuinely enjoy building relationships with people and not view your network as transactional. Regular touch bases with founders, investors, friends, former colleagues can lead to unexpected connections or opportunities, but you have to make the time to nurture those relationships and care about them as people. I like to reference Adam Grant's book "Give and Take", which reveals that some of the highest performers across organizations are givers. Think about others, and you will be top of mind for them as well.

Quality events are great to meet founders and investors in person and to feel the pulse of the market. It’s important to prepare and schedule some meetings before the event with relevant stakeholders, but also to leave some time free and let serendipity surprise you.

Get up get out and get involved. Don’t look at their shoes or yours when in a new setting but find out what needs of others are and how you can help!

One thing which is very important in attending events is to choose the right event. It's obvious that all events are not useful. I have some criteria to decide to attend a deal sourcing event: 1. The organiser and its reputation 2. The quality of other investors in the event 3. The domain of attending startups 4. The life-stage if attending startups 5. And last but not the least: do I have any vacant position for new startups in my deal flow? Do I really need new startups to add to my deal flow?

Just moved to Miami about 17 months ago, and what I've found is that landing in a new city can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of new contacts you make by attending conferences. To manage this, I've set up a dedicated WhatsApp group to notify selected individuals for coffee meetups or other casual events. People really appreciate the interactivity and the opportunity to meet other professionals, such as founders or investors, and it works well.

Hosting your own events is such an underrated way to be a pro networker. In doing this, you’re positioning yourself as a key person of interest for every guest, panelist, or expert you get to attend or be featured. This sets you up to have a long-lasting relationship with those people. You also help people associate your name with a particular space, which can open you up to opportunities you genuinely care about. Plus, people who appreciate your mission will always be happy to help you keep growing whether it’s by co-hosting the next event with you, introducing you to your next panelist, or suggesting new programs or ideas for you.

Introverts love this part, myself included. 2 key takeaways here: choose the platforms that best suit the type of content you like creating, and don't force yourself into contexts and types of content that don't feel natural to you.

Actively network on LinkedIn, Twitter and other relevant platforms. Use tools like newsletter, CRM to organize contacts and communications.

Whatever you do, DON'T send cold-canned-emails. Founders like engaging in conversations that are meaningful, if you'll invest in their company it's going to be a long relationship. Set the tone by shortly explaining why you are interested in their space and schedule a meeting to see if you can be helpful (don't, if you know you can't).

A few years ago, we started special interest group over meetup, which turns into physical events and later become an association. Social media presence like LinkedIn and Discord are useful to grow the network.

The best way to expand your deal-sourcing network is making yourself available to that expansion. It may sound obvious, but life in the 21st Century is a constant inundation of personal, social and professional demands...and we find ourselves saying "no" to expansion instinctively. Time-consuming tasks may seem never-ending. So, making the extra effort to allow yourself to say "yes" and to be present, available and "network-ready", whether through family, friends, clients or your community, will lead to a higher quality network of individuals and businesses who genuinely support your vision and will organically help increase the flow of opportunities, referrals and, hopefully, successful deals.

Building a collaborative community is very helpful. Also attending and contributing to various conferences, discussions, forums and community events will help build a good network.

Join startup/investor groups and forums to share insights. Create your own community newsletter, Slack or Facebook group.

Platforms and communities in my daily experience brought me a lot of opportunities to leverage my projects. It's efficient and productive as our time is extremely limited in this environment.

Being the organizers of a community where people gain from being in the same room with their peers is a great way to actually provide a lot of value. Beware of building generic and non-curated communities. A-players like to hang with A-players. Also, it should be theme related with some regard to not having direct competitors in the room.

Be warm and genuine. Networking is not exchanging name cards. Engage in topics/projects that you are really interested, and connect to partners and founders in the same space. Find people you enjoy working with (and likewise for them)

Embrace a proactive approach when looking for opportunities to invest. Reach out to relevant folks within the areas of interest. Make it part of the routine to engage in regular discussions about the emerging trends, etc. However, remember that building meaningful connections is about more than just seeking value for yourself. Offer your expertise, feedback, or network to support others. This genuine interaction not only strengthens your relationships but also often leads to reciprocal benefits, such as introductions to new investment opportunities. Additionally, leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Substack, and Medium to share your insights, engage with content related to your investment focus.

One of the most important core values of Techstars is #givefirst. This alone, I believe, was one of the main reasons why I decided to join them for a while in the first place. Be proactive and genuine in giving advice. Even if you don’t invest, find the time to tell founders why, where they can improve, and generally, what they missed. I’m sure that this will boost your image and generate additional deal flow just by word of mouth.

I think the most underutilized resource an investor has in this context is their 'Rejection Emails'. If you write, thoughtful, direct rejection emails - co-founders will appreciate your candor and will refer their friends to you. Because even if you said no, they learned something that made the time investment in the relationship worth their while.

Don't be afraid to offer free advice to founders. Offering free advice demonstrates your proactive and genuine approach to building a network by showcasing your willingness to contribute without immediate gain. It establishes trust, positions you as a valuable resource, and fosters positive relationships. Free advice not only highlights your expertise but also creates a reciprocal dynamic, encouraging others to engage and reciprocate in the networking process. Ultimately, it cultivates a supportive and collaborative community, strengthening your professional connections with potential founders.

Become a part of Startup Communities as a volunteer or team member to expand your network Take active part in organising and initiating to build an image for yourself. It really helps in sourcing good deals

Networking is not a task but a continuous process. Here are a few things to consider while building a network: 1. Define your niche and target people whose goals align with yours . 2. Your mode of communication- email, calls, text, content, etc. should be interesting and interactive. 3. Build trust in the heart and mind of people towards your brand/product. 4. Hunt for knowledge gaps in the field and fill those to build credibility in the potential customer’s eyes. Be true throughout the process, don’t try to trick people. Give them something valuable to come back for.

Always lean towards topics and networks you are most passionate about and be selective about what you spend your time on and then double down on it. The time is scarce so be strategic and look for value in places that matter to your investment focus. Attend only relevant sector conferences, ecosystem events and university pitch competitions to meet emerging founders ?? Always ask for intros to their networks.

Actions speak louder than words: to get referrals, you must be perceived as an attractive investor or co-investor. To achieve such status, you must have capital that can be relied on (including for follow-ons), an efficient investment process, value to offer to portfolio companies (and a process to deliver such value), and a track record of negotiating fair and value-adding deals (not strangling startups). Sector or vertical expertise with which you can contribute in DD is also a plus for co-investors. Failure to execute on the above will harm your reputation and limit your sourcing.

Invest in Relationship Management Tools: Utilize customer relationship management (CRM) software and other relationship management tools to track interactions, manage contacts, and stay organized in your deal sourcing efforts. These tools can help you effectively nurture and maintain relationships with key stakeholders.