Hi AZ Tech Ecosystem!
I spent last week in NYC for New York Tech Week, where the city hosted over 700 tech events for founders, investors, and tech operators. To say I had a great time is an understatement! Here are a few of the things I noticed:
While intimidating for some, just SHOWING UP to an event or public space where there are other builders puts you in great company. Interestingly enough, this is somewhat of a dying art when it comes to relationship building. I personally believe that you are never more than one warm connection away from changing the trajectory of your project or life.
In addition to showing up, SPEAK UP. You will be surprised by the number of people who go to public spaces and don't take advantage of meeting everyone there. I even met some founders who are building an app that lets users know everyone else who was in the same space as they were, in case a user goes home and was too shy to say hello in person. Simply speaking up puts you in the top 10% of participants at an event.
There is a constant culture of giving. In short, give more favors than you take—aim for a 5-1 ratio. If you give and expect nothing in return, I promise good karma will loop around to reward you.
A simple task, but tough for some to nail down. Don't treat investors like bank accounts, don't treat founders like beggars, and treat everyone with the same amount of respect. This sounds straightforward, but living the experience is different.
In one of the groups I was chatting with, I met a young NYU sophomore who works in the exact space we are looking for customers in. He welcomed the idea of connecting and introducing us to industry contacts. On another occasion, while heading from one event to another, I got caught in a chat with someone on their way in as I was heading out. Being a humid NYC afternoon, I wanted to cut the conversation short, but it turns out this person was a general partner of a fund in NYC who loved our idea and has been promoting it to his network since. Had I gone with more traditional points of view, I might not have met these individuals or many others!
If you know you have a great solution, don't sell yourself short. No one is going to be a bigger cheerleader for you than yourself, and people out there are definitely making noise, so speak up and represent what you believe in!
Despite being in a city with a plethora of investors and startups, many founders are still puzzled about what the fundraising process looks like! If it's still an issue in a tier 1 city with a large and active tech scene, then I can only imagine what it must be like for other underserved tech cities around the country.
I continue to be very bullish about the AZ tech scene and believe we are making great strides every quarter! Here's to building a great tech community in Arizona!
Cheers,
Josue
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