Maintaining an investment network means a simple system: knowing who matters, staying in touch with a light rhythm, giving before asking and reviewing which relationships actually produce value.
9 min read · Level 5
The most effective network habit I know is embarrassingly small: regularly asking who you could help this week, and then doing it. It sounds too simple to matter, and over years it produces more opportunities than any amount of conference attendance.
Relationships fade without contact, but constant contact becomes noise. A simple system helps.
1. Keep a short list. Not everyone you meet - the people who matter to your investing:
Group Example size Portfolio founders 8 to 20 Co-investors and leads 10 to 20 Expert bench 10 to 30 Other founders and scouts 20 to 40
2. Set a light rhythm. For example, a meaningful contact with each person every few months: sharing a relevant article, an introduction, congratulations on news, or a short catch-up.
3. Give before asking. Useful introductions, customer leads and honest feedback build relationships faster than requests.
4. Review what works. Once a year, check which relationships produced deals, diligence help or co-investment:
Deals seen in a year 40 Deals from your top 5 contacts 18 Share from top 5 18 / 40 = 45%
Nearly half the deal flow came from five people. Those relationships deserve the most attention.
Because relationships compound slowly and weaken quietly. The contacts that produce the best opportunities often come from years of occasional, genuine usefulness.
Reviewing sources also prevents spending time on relationships that feel busy but produce little.
Educational, not personalised financial advice. Nothing in the Investor Academy is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold anything — what is right for you depends on your own circumstances and the rules where you live.
A quarterly habit.
Each quarter, an angel spends an hour reviewing their short list of 60 people, noting who they have not spoken to in over four months. They send eight short, specific messages - an introduction that could help, a note on a relevant customer, congratulations on a hire.
Over a year, three of those contacts send deals, and one becomes a regular co-investor. Total time: about four hours a year for the review, plus the conversations that follow.
Trying to stay in touch with everyone through generic updates, or only contacting people when you need something.
Record the people who matter most to your investing.
Aim for occasional, meaningful contact rather than frequent generic messages.
Offer introductions, information or help before making requests.
Check which relationships produce deals, diligence and co-investment.
Continuously, once you invest regularly in private companies.
Do not treat relationships as purely transactional; people notice when contact only happens when something is wanted.
Sociologist Mark Granovetter's research on 'the strength of weak ties' found that acquaintances outside a person's close circle are often important sources of new information and opportunities, a finding frequently cited in discussions of professional networking and deal sourcing.
Occasional contact with a broad set of acquaintances can matter as much as close relationships.
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