The Directory - our final move to become a Professional Social Platform

Hey, we are Ramón Rodrigá?ez and Andrea Marino, Co-Founders at Nova, the Global Top Talent Network.

Welcome to Talent First, our newsletter where those who believe that talent is the most important resource in the economy get together.

Every week we cover a new topic related to attracting, hiring, developing, and retaining talent, as well as the learnings from our journey building Nova.

Summary:

• The Directory has always been Nova’s most demanded feature. In this issue, we reflect on how this feature has evolved, from an early third-party provider version to validate the need for our new approach which we released last week. By focusing on quality, transparency, and integrity, we are setting a new standard for professional networking. We also explain how we did the launch to reach an all-time high “Weekly Active Users” at Nova.

1. The original Directory: a good enough MVP

Nova’s journey began with a feature-rich community platform powered by Hivebrite, and at its core was the Directory. Members could freely connect, message, and engage with each other—a valuable asset for networking. However, while it provided access, the open setup posed certain challenges. The ease of messaging anyone could lead to interactions that weren’t always appropriate or welcomed, especially in a community with a diverse range of seniority levels.

As our member base grew, we quickly realized that the traditional Directory model wouldn’t support our vision for a quality-driven, respectful network. Without a filter for intent or any limit on who could reach out, junior members could easily end up in the inboxes of executives or be overwhelmed by unsolicited messages. Imagine lots of junior people having full access to message founders and CEOs of prominent scaleups and triggering emails each time they sent a message: it was a great proof of concept of the value of such a feature, but it did not scale.

The solution? A bold decision to close the Directory, pausing it until we could build an upgraded version aligned with Nova’s values of meaningful connection, respect, and quality.

This kind of decision is hard to make as a founder: we cannot tell you how many messages we got from members complaining about not being able to search and chat with other members.

However, the time we took to build our proprietary Directory has paid off. By relaunching it as a feature of Nova’s own technology, we’ve not only met the demand for the Directory’s return but exceeded expectations with a feature that’s much more purpose-driven and that sets a clear difference between Nova and other professional social platforms like LinkedIn.

2. The new Directory: 3 big differences vs. LinkedIn

Ok, so how is the new Nova Directory unique? Our approach has been based on the principles of quality, transparency, and ethical interactions, with 3 specific differences that make Nova’s Directory unique:

1) Quality > Quantity: 5 connections/month

Networking often focuses on amassing irrelevant connections with people that you don’t know. These days, LinkedIn has become particularly spammy with many sales professionals and recruiters connecting with people without really knowing you or with hidden purposes.

Nova’s vision is different. We wanted our Directory to enable genuine, thoughtful connections instead of quantity for quantity’s sake. To achieve this, we have implemented a monthly limit of 5 new connections outside a member’s existing network. This cap helps members choose their connections wisely, avoiding the risks of spam and superficial connections.

The existing networks of members are for now based on Gravity interactions (i.e. who have you met through Gravity and had a 30-minute conversation) and nominations (i.e. members who you have nominated or the one who nominated you).

Setting a number was particularly tough and we had several “Roadmap Alignment” sessions (our weekly product meetings) about it. In an effort to balance exclusivity with accessibility, we determined that 5 connections per month would be bout to encourage quality interactions without feeling too restrictive so that you wouldn’t dare to use them. To see if it’s the right figure.

2) Transparency First: you need to disclose your intentions

One of our most groundbreaking additions is the transparency feature. In professional networking, it’s common to encounter hidden agendas, whether for sales, recruiting, or other business needs. At Nova, we’ve chosen to eliminate ambiguity by requiring members to disclose the purpose of connecting when they send a request.

Whether seeking mentorship, co-founders, investors, or hiring opportunities, each request comes with a disclosed reason, fostering a respectful, honest, and upfront environment. By knowing the “why” behind a connection, members can approach interactions with mutual clarity and trust. It’s a simple shift that has a radical impact—transforming networking from transactional to relational and helping members make connections that resonate. This is how it looks:

3) Code of Conduct: 5 principles to ensure there are no trolls

In a network as curated as Nova’s, our members’ shared values are the foundation of trust. To reinforce these values, we established a Code of Conduct guiding every interaction at Nova but affecting particularly the Directory feature. This Code is built on five key principles that every Nova member agrees to uphold:

1. We preserve and foster a network of excellence.
2. We support each other toward meaningful goals.
3. We are transparent and refrain from spamming.
4. We treat each other with respect, openness, and kindness.
5. We uphold the highest ethical standards, leading by example.

With these principles, members know that every connection comes with a shared commitment to Nova’s values. It’s a safeguard against negative behavior and ensures that interactions on Nova remain positive, respectful, and productive.

3. Built-in browsing limits for security and privacy

In addition to quality and transparency, we designed Nova’s Directory with member privacy and data security in mind. We have decided to create browsing limits to ensure that the platform remains a trusted, secure space, protecting members from potential misuse or data extraction. We know how hard LinkedIn has to fight to avoid or make scrapping complex, so we didn’t want to be in the same situation.

Each member can browse up to 400 profiles per month, which we believe is a more than generous allowance for intentional networking. This limit doesn’t restrict meaningful use but prevents potential misuse, such as large-scale data scraping. Limiting the number of profile views ensures that the Directory is used as intended: for deliberate, quality interactions rather than for mining contacts.

As Nova continues to grow by hundreds of members monthly, we also ensure that no competitor can have access to our entire database, which ensures our competitive advantage.

4. Feature launch: how we made our all-time engagement record

When it came time to launch the Directory, we wanted to ensure our members not only knew about it but were excited to dive in. Our strategy blended targeted communication, strategic buzz, and personalized outreach, resulting in a record-breaking level of engagement across the Nova network.

1) First: email launch to all members

Our go-to-market plan started as always with a carefully crafted email to all members telling them about the release. For many, the Directory was a tool they’d missed and many were eager to explore in its new, enhanced form.

2) Second: founder-led LinkedIn bragging:

We then went ahead and posted about this release on our personal accounts. These days people pay increasingly less attention to their email inbox, particularly if they have a personal email account with Nova, so we know our own personal brands are key to making people know about new product features. Here you have them: Andrea - Ramón.

3) Third: connection requests from our CPO

To make the launch even more hands-on, we showed each and every member how the Directory worked. With help from our tech team, our dear Cristian (CPO at Nova), jumped over the connection limit and personally requested a connection to each member through the Directory. This small gesture had a big impact, serving as a demonstration of how the feature worked, triggering an email notification that directed members to explore the feature for themselves and enabling them all to chat with him directly. He then had to spend 10 hours replying to messages, but it was totally worth it.

The launch exceeded our highest expectations: our Weekly Active User rate (WAU) surged to 57%, setting a new benchmark for engagement within the Nova app. Members quickly embraced the Directory, demonstrating that our design choices around quality, transparency, and security resonated strongly. Our go-to-market strategy not only made the feature accessible but also underscored its purpose, showing that when you build for your users and you listen to feedback, results follow naturally.

Together with all the other features we have launched throughout the year, we have 2,5x our unique users in only 10 months. Check Ramón’s post which summarizes them well.

This launch marked a new era for Nova as a professional social platform—a platform where connections are intentional, privacy is prioritized, and each member is treated with respect. The Directory has not just returned; it’s evolved, setting a new standard for how professionals connect.

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