James Geshwiler, a local angel investor and a managing director of CommonAngels, has an interesting post in Mass High Tech entitled “Hey, Boston-area VCs, angels: Loosen up and connect with startups.” Besides the catchy title, James has a good point. I’ve debated this point with some of my venture capital friends, and I believe one of the most important roles of a VC - even if they are not invested in your company - is to help connect startups with others. Other startups, executives, potential customers, press and potential exits. This goes well beyond the whole recruiting-people-to-work-at-the-startup issue.
One of the things that somehow gets overlooked when the East Coast VC world is compared to the West Coast’s is how aggressively many of the most successful West Coast VCs promote their companies. And how aggressively the promote their companies to the RIGHT people - people who run companies that will one day acquire those startups, or buy their technology.
If you are a startup in the fund raising process, don’t be afraid to ask the venture capitalists for introductions. If you impress or interested the VC enough, they just might be able to connect you with the individual who will somehow help drive your company to success. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
