Who Should I Talk To?
I’m a big proponent of startup founders visiting San Francisco on a regular basis. But there’s one mistake many founders make when planning their trip to Silicon Valley. Each-and-every week, I get at least one email from a founder that goes something like this:
“Hey Chris,
I’m coming to SF in a few weeks. Who are the 2-3 people I should absolutely talk to when I’m there?”
It seems like a reasonable enough request, right? Especially given Silicon Valley’s pay-it-forward culture. But emails like this are more likely to result in me hitting the trash button than typing out a reply.
Here’s why:
1. I Probably Don’t Know You
Granted, I don’t have the world’s best memory, but these emails generally come from people I barely know. In fact, they almost always come from founders I’ve spoken with exactly once.
Looking at the example above, the lack of familiarity is pretty obvious from the tone — you would never write an email like this to someone you’re friends with. But for some reason many people (particularly CEOs), think it’s okay to fire off what are effectively demands to relative strangers.
2. I Definitely Don’t Work for You
Not only are emails like this tone-deaf, they also imply a request: please do work for me.
In order for me to respond affirmatively to this request, I have to:
Look up our past interactions to refresh my memory on who you are and what your company does (granted, AI does help with this)
Then spend time to think about what help you might need at this point in your journey
After that, I need to think through the details of my personal and professional networks to match those needs with people I know
Next, I need to write a detailed email back to you about who these people are and why I think they might help you
Then…
Suffice to say, that’s a considerable amount of work for someone I barely know. And it certainly doesn’t show an understanding of the paradox of time.
3. I’m Very Protective of My Network
Even if I were to come up with 2 or 3 people that I think might be of use to you, I won’t promise you an intro.
In order for my friends to remain my friends, I need to be respectful of their time and ensure that all introductions are double opt-in.
How to Ask for Introductions
Chris Albinson, Managing Partner of True North Fund and cofounder of the Canadian expat network, C100, recently shared this advice with visiting Canadian founders,
“There are nearly 300,000 Canadians in the Bay and they sincerely want to help. But you have to show up prepared.”
This scenario is a great example of that.
Instead of asking someone to do all of the work for you, be specific in your asks,
“I’m hoping to meet 2 or 3 Pre-Seed investors to get feedback on my pitch before we start fundraising in the fall. Do you know any VCs who actively invest in X and might be willing to take a 20-minute meeting?”
“I want to meet CTOs of companies in industry X in order to ask about Y. Do you have any connections to such companies in your portfolio that you would be willing to pass along a request-for-intro email to?”
“I’m considering spending more time in San Francisco and would like to speak with a couple of expats who recently relocated there to learn about their experience. Do you happen to know anyone that might be willing to connect?”
Not only do each of these examples have specifics about the type of person the author wants to meet with, they’re also significantly more humble in their tone (which is likely to lead to more positive responses).
Here are some other tips:
Consider including a fully-written request-for-introduction email below the ask (so that the recipient can take action without having to go back-and-forth with you)
Use LinkedIn to research if a person is connected to individuals who meet your target and ask for specific intros (e.g. “I notice you’re connected to the following VPs of Engineering. Would you be willing to pass along a request-for-introduction email to any of them?”)
And always remember, to win transactions, don’t be transactional.