Dear SaaStr: How Can a New VC Build Relationships With Top Founders?
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Be where the founders are.
- Go to events, dinners, meet-ups, demo days, etc. Go where your prospects are. This always works. But you really have to hustle for this to work. A random cocktail party here or there is unlikely to work.
- Network with VCs a stage earlier than you or your peers. Be a good partner to them and they will share deal flow.
- Build a service of genuine value to founders. E.g., a service finding them a VP of Sales, or a co-founder. This is 50x more work than you might expect to do it right. But do it right, it will work.
- Create amazing content. Yes, this is overloaded today. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t work though.
- Spend more time with the best founders you’ve already invested in. There’s a reason almost every VC does this. They hang out a lot with the top founders they’ve invested in. A lot.
