Double Opt-In Introduction

An introduction made only after both people have agreed they want to be connected.

Example

An investor asks a founder and a potential customer separately before sending a short email connecting them.

It protects the investor's relationships and makes introductions far more likely to be useful.

Warm Introduction — An opportunity introduced by someone who knows both the investor and the founder, rather than a cold approach.
Value-Add — Help an investor provides to a company beyond capital, such as introductions, expertise, recruiting support or references.

Founders send the best deals to investors who treated them well — Founders are the most valuable part of an investor's network. Responding quickly, saying no clearly, being useful without being asked for credit and behaving well when things go wrong earns their referrals. (9 min)
A network is kept alive by small, useful contact, not by volume — 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)
Answering quickly and making good introductions are worth more than most strategy advice — For most investors, the highest-value contributions are cheap to give: fast replies, relevant introductions made carefully, and being reliable when a founder needs a reference or a decision. (10 min)
Recruiting help is the most requested and most valuable thing investors can offer — Founders consistently rank hiring as their hardest problem. Investors who make relevant introductions, take reference calls and help close candidates provide help that is specific, asked for and hard to buy. (10 min)