The Best Connections to Make First

Turning Early Relationships Into Potential Investment and Progress: The connections I would prioritize early, from industry experts and experienced founders to investors, competition judges, and the people who can open the door to your next opportunity.

Start With People Who Know What You Don’t

As I mentioned in my guide on finding advisors and mentors, some of the most valuable connections you can make early are with industry experts and subject-matter experts who have already done what you are trying to do.

These are the people who can help you avoid expensive mistakes, understand your market, figure out what milestones actually matter, and identify the gaps in your plan before an investor or customer does. Some of these relationships may eventually become formal advisory roles, while others may simply remain mentors you call when you need another perspective.

But there is another reason these relationships become so valuable over time: experienced people usually know other experienced people.

The advisor helping you understand your industry today may be the person who introduces you to a manufacturer, executive, investor, customer, or future team member six months from now. Early on, do not think about networking only in terms of what someone can immediately give you. Build relationships with good people, keep them updated, and let those relationships compound.


Connect With Founders Who Have Already Raised Money

One of the most overlooked groups to build relationships with is other founders who are a few steps ahead of you.

If you are at an event and an experienced founder is speaking, go introduce yourself afterward. Connect with them on LinkedIn. If you find someone building in your industry, reach out. Bonus points if they went to your university, participated in the same accelerator, or you have another natural connection.

Start by learning from them.

Ask things like:

  • How did you fund the company early on?

  • Where did you find your first non-dilutive funding?

  • When did you know you were ready to raise?

  • What milestones mattered most to investors?

  • Which mistakes would you avoid if you started again?

  • Which investors actually understood your space?

Then keep them updated as you make progress.

The conversation you have today about how they won their first grant could become a completely different conversation a year from now when you are fundraising. Once you have built trust and reached the right stage, you can ask which groups they raised from, which investors they liked working with, and whether there is anyone they think you should meet. If you are not sure whether you are actually ready to start having those investor conversations yet, refer to my resource on when and how to approach investors before making the ask.

I have already found myself connecting other founders with investors I know, and that is exactly how these networks start compounding. Founders who have raised before often know which investors actually write checks, what those investors care about, and which groups are worth your time.


Start Talking to Investors Before You Need Their Money

Do not be afraid to connect with investors before you are actively fundraising.

Some universities have angel networks, venture funds, alumni investment groups, or other investor organizations associated with them. There may also be fund managers, associates, analysts, or pipeline managers who are willing to have an early conversation with a student founder.

At this stage, you are not asking them to invest. You are asking them to help you understand what you need to become investable.

One of my favorite questions is:

“What would a company in my industry and at my stage typically need to accomplish before you would seriously consider investing?”

That answer gives you targets.

Maybe they want to see a certain prototype. Maybe they need regulatory clarity. Maybe they want customer validation, technical data, revenue, intellectual property, a stronger team, or a specific development milestone.

Write those things down and start working toward them.

Then keep that investor updated.

You might send an occasional update saying:

“When we spoke six months ago, you mentioned that you would want to see X and Y before taking another look. We have now completed X, made significant progress on Y, and also achieved Z.”

Even when investors do not respond to every update, that does not necessarily mean they are not paying attention. Your name can stay in their inbox for months, and eventually you may send the update that changes the conversation.

For more on this check out my other resource on When to Approach Investors.


Stay Connected With Pitch Competition Judges

Pitch competitions are not just about the prize money.

Look at who is judging.

Judges are often:

  • Investors

  • Successful founders

  • Executives

  • Attorneys

  • Advisors

  • Accelerator leaders

  • University entrepreneurship leaders

  • People deeply connected to the local startup ecosystem

If you finish a competition and immediately leave, you may be walking away from something more valuable than the check.

When possible, introduce yourself afterward. Thank them for their feedback. Connect on LinkedIn or exchange contact information. If they asked an especially thoughtful question or clearly understood your industry, follow up and ask whether they would be open to another conversation.

A judge who liked your company today might eventually introduce you to an investor, become an advisor, tell you about another competition, or simply continue giving you useful feedback as you develop.

Treat the competition as the beginning of relationships, not the end of them.


Build Relationships With Your Future Customers

Another group worth connecting with early is the people you eventually expect to sell to.

This overlaps heavily with customer discovery, so check out my resource on effective customer discovery, but there is a networking component to it as well. Someone you initially interview to understand a problem could eventually become:

  • An early user

  • A pilot customer

  • An LOI signer

  • A product champion

  • A referral source

  • An industry connection

  • Someone who introduces you to other customers

Keep track of the people who are especially enthusiastic about what you are building.

You do not need to constantly sell to them. Keep them updated when you hit meaningful milestones and, when you have something new to test, go back to the people who gave you valuable feedback early.

Some of your best early supporters may come from the very first customer-discovery conversations you conduct.


Know the People Who Will Eventually Help You Build the Product

Depending on your company, you may also want early relationships with the service providers and partners you will eventually need to move the product forward.

For a physical, technical, or regulated company, that might include:

  • Manufacturers

  • Product-development firms

  • Regulatory experts

  • Attorneys

  • Quality specialists

  • Designers or engineers

  • Testing laboratories

  • Distribution partners

  • Reimbursement experts

  • Clinical or research partners

You do not necessarily need to hire these people immediately.

But conversations with them can help you understand how much things cost, how long they take, what needs to happen first, and what mistakes founders commonly make before reaching them.

That information can dramatically improve your development plan and make you much more prepared when judges or investors start asking detailed questions about what happens next.


Use Your University Network

If you are a student, your university should probably sit at the center of much of this relationship-building.

Your school may already connect you to:

  • Alumni founders

  • Industry executives

  • Investors

  • Professors

  • Researchers

  • Attorneys

  • Doctors or clinicians

  • Entrepreneurship staff

  • Accelerator mentors

  • Other student founders

Start there before assuming you need to cold-message the entire internet.

A shared university connection makes outreach easier, and once you develop a few strong relationships, those people can begin introducing you outside the university ecosystem.

This is how a campus network can eventually become a national industry and investor network. For more on this, check out my resource on How to Use Your University.


Go to Networking Events Even When It Feels Awkward

Networking events can feel unnatural, especially when you do not know anyone in the room. Go anyway. Entrepreneurship events, startup conferences, demo days, pitch competitions, industry events, alumni gatherings, and university programs put you in rooms with people you would otherwise have no reason to meet. You never really know who is standing next to you or where one conversation could eventually lead.

That does not mean walking around asking everyone what they can do for your startup. Have normal conversations. Ask people what they are working on, learn about their experience, and tell them what you are building when it comes up naturally. If you have a meaningful conversation, make sure you actually follow up afterward. Connect on LinkedIn, send a short message referencing what you discussed, and keep the relationship going.

The goal is not to leave an event with 50 new LinkedIn connections. It is much more valuable to leave with two or three people you might actually talk to again. For more on this, check out my resource on effective networking.


Keep Track of the Relationships You Build

Once you start meeting more people, it becomes surprisingly easy to forget who you talked to, what you discussed, or when you last reached out. You do not need an expensive CRM or complicated system when you are just getting started. A simple spreadsheet can be more than enough.

I would keep track of things like:

  • Name and organization

  • How you met

  • Why the relationship could be valuable

  • When you last spoke

  • What you discussed

  • Any introductions or advice they offered

  • When it might make sense to follow up

More important than the spreadsheet itself is actually staying in touch when you have something meaningful to say. If someone gave you advice that helped you win a grant, tell them. If an investor told you they wanted to see a specific milestone and you reach it six months later, update them. If someone made an introduction that led somewhere, thank them and let them know what happened.

People are much more likely to continue helping you when they can see that you listen to their advice, make progress, and appreciate the time they have given you.


The Connections I Would Prioritize First

If I were starting from zero again, I would not try to meet everyone. I would focus on building a relatively small group of meaningful relationships around the major needs of the company.

I would prioritize:

  • One experienced industry operator who has done something similar to what I am trying to do

  • A few founders ahead of me who have already raised money and built in my space

  • Potential customers who can continuously tell me whether I am building the right thing

  • A handful of investors who can tell me what milestones I need to reach

  • University alumni, staff, and professors who can help open additional doors

  • People involved in building and commercializing the product, such as manufacturers, regulatory experts, developers, or other specialists

  • Other founders at my stage who can share opportunities and grow alongside me

You do not need hundreds of relationships. You need a relatively small number of good relationships with people who know you, understand what you are building, and genuinely want to see you succeed.

And remember that these groups are not isolated from one another. Your advisor might introduce you to an investor. An investor might introduce you to another founder. That founder might introduce you to a manufacturer. A competition judge might eventually become an advisor. The more strong relationships you build, the more your network begins to compound.


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