Relationships as a Superpower: How to Build a Network That Opens Doors in VC

"They should never ask you, 'Why should I hire you?' The question should be: 'It's amazing, you've done so much for us already — we'd love to find a way to work with you.'" — Sree Kolli, Founder of Conduit, Former Associate at The Partnership Fund for NYC

Venture capital has an open secret that isn’t much of a secret at all: the entire industry runs on trust. Deals come from relationships, LPs commit thought conviction built quietly and subtly over dinners, not just decks. Investors back founders they believe in personally, not just financially. If you want in, it may help to understand that fundamentally, it's a network. And if you navigate it well, your success may benefit from it.

The best networkers in venture aren’t operators of some dark social calculus. But people who figured out, early, that generosity compounds faster than self-interest and that the most durable career advantages are built long before anyone is keeping score.

Sree Kolli’s path into venture illustrates this with unusual clarity.

Start Before You Think You Need To

‍When Sree was still in investment banking at JPMorgan, she began doing something that looked, from the outside, like nothing particularly strategic. She started showing up — to events, to conversations, to the edges of an ecosystem she hadn't yet entered.

"I started my recruiting process almost 18 months to two years before I was even thinking about leaving," she said. "The entire process was a learning process. I wanted to use that time to really immerse myself in the ecosystem and then figure out what part I really belonged in.

There's an important asymmetry here worth understanding. A relationship initiated under pressure — when you need a job, an introduction, a favor — carries a fundamentally different charge than one built in the absence of any immediate need. People feel this distinction instinctively, even when they can't name it. By the time Sree was actively looking, she wasn't a stranger sending cold emails. She was someone people already knew, already trusted, and already wanted to work with.

The lesson is almost too simple to take seriously: begin eighteen months before you think you should. The reason most people don't is that it feels inefficient. It isn't. It's the highest-leverage thing you can do.

Always serve the other first.

‍A common failure mode in VC networking is leading with an ask. And although directness is appreciated, leading with what you need, a coffee chat request, a vague plea to "pick your brain, a LinkedIn message that reads like a cover letter no one requested, it just kills the vibe before it even exists.

Sree's framework inverts this, without expected awkwardness, quite skillfull. Her goal was not to get a job first thing, rather it was to become so useful that the job became a logical conclusion.

"Being able to add value to a conversation is so critical versus just thinking about what this person can do for me," she said. "You want to make sure you're coming off in a very genuine way versus just seeming like you want a job in VC. That's not good enough and doesn't really tell anyone about who you are or why you want this job or what you're going to provide."

Keith Ferrazzi calls this the "giving mindset" in Never Eat Alone. Brandon and Seldman, in Survival of the Savvy, frame it as the difference between the "under-political" person who waits to be recognized for good work and the politically savvy one who understands that visibility, usefulness, and trust are things you build deliberately — without sacrificing your integrity to do it.

In practice, this means: write a sector memo for a fund you admire. Introduce a founder to an investor whose thesis they might fit. Flag a deal that nobody asked you to flag. Show up to portfolio events not to pitch yourself, but to contribute something worth remembering.

And when you do make an ask — because eventually you will, and you should — make it precise. "I'm targeting early-stage fintech funds in New York and I’d like an introduction — would you be open to a 20-minute call?" is a sentence someone can act on. "Can you help me break into VC? I’d like to pick your brain" is a sentence someone will most likely politely ignore.

Map the Ecosystem, Not the Org Chart

When targeting a venture fund the first thing you encounter are the partners, the associates, the career page. Sree's approach was more architecturally interesting.

"I wanted to work at XYZ funds, but I used to think: who are their portfolio company founders? What sectors are they interested in? And prep before every conversation I had with anybody at that fund."

This reframes the problem. You don't have to enter a fund through the front door. You can enter through the portfolio. Those founders know the partners. They talk. If you've added genuine value to a startup in a firm's portfolio, you've created a warm introduction that no cold email could replicate — and you've demonstrated the exact kind of operational empathy that venture funds are hiring for.

"Find a list of startups across the portfolios of the venture funds, get in touch with those founders, and figure out what their problem areas are — and just help them with as much as you can," Sree said. "Become a really valuable resource to them and then break into the venture fund that way."

This builds something more durable than a job lead. The more time you spend with early-stage founders, the better you understand what they actually need from their investors. That understanding is, quietly, the most valuable thing you can walk into an interview with. And will help in your career in the long run.

The Compounding Nature of a Single Conversation

Sometimes strategy has nothing to do with it. Sometimes the critical moment is just one conversation — but one you were prepared for because of the dozens that preceded it. Cliche phrase, I know, but success really is when opportunity and preparation meet.

In 2016, Imran Tehal was building a career in banking when a director at his firm offered a piece of advice that would, over time, redirect everything: go into technology. At the time, the expected path was banking or consulting. Tech felt like uncharted territory. But Imran followed the thread — started reading, started surrounding himself with people in the space — and eventually found himself in a room with someone working in venture capital. A field he hadn't considered earlier.

"I just went up to him and said, 'Look, I like what you do and want to learn more.' He took me under his wing and connected me to his firm. That's how I got hired."

No formal application. No polished deck. Just genuine curiosity at the right moment — a moment he was only in because he'd followed the advice of someone who believed in him. That's the compounding nature of relationships: one mentor points you in a direction, one conversation opens a door, but neither happens if you're not already in the room, paying attention.

Mentors as Mirrors

Relationships in venture aren't just about access. They're about formation — who you become once you're inside.

Sharran Deora came into venture with a strong background spanning investment banking, product management, and entrepreneurship. He had the credentials. Interviews came easily. Offers didn't — at least not initially.

What changed wasn't a better resume. It was what he absorbed from the people around him. One mentor modeled trust and transparency as the foundation of every investor relationship. Another demonstrated what relationship-driven investing looked like at scale. A third showed him the sheer energy required to win deals without the advantage of a well-known brand.

Sharran didn't copy any of them wholesale. He studied what each did well, identified what fit his own instincts, and deliberately integrated those lessons. The result was a version of himself that was sharper, more self-aware, and better aligned with what the right firms were actually looking for.

The takeaway: the best mentors in VC aren't connectors. They're mirrors. They help you see where your strengths are, where your gaps are, and which version of this career actually fits you. Seek them out. And when you find them, be worth mentoring — curious, prepared, and committed to the work itself, not just the title.

Your Point of View Is Your Introduction

There's an underappreciated path that doesn't require a single networking event: building in public.

"You can continue to build your own personal brand as a thought leader, create content in that domain, and then get surfaced by one of these people," Sree said. "I think that's really valuable."

In a world where partners are constantly scanning for people who understand specific verticals deeply, a well-articulated point of view functions as a passive sourcing tool. A memo, a newsletter, a LinkedIn post that demonstrates genuine insight — these create conversations that wouldn't otherwise exist. They signal seriousness in a way that a resume never can.

Pick a vertical. Develop a thesis. Write about what you're seeing. Share it where the people you want to reach are already reading. The right people will find you — and when they do, the conversation starts from a position of mutual respect rather than cold introduction.

Think Globally, Build Early

One of the things Sree went on to build with Conduit — a platform connecting operator investors with founders worldwide — was a direct response to a structural gap she'd observed: extraordinary founders exist everywhere, but the relationships connecting them to strategic capital remain stubbornly concentrated in a handful of cities.

For aspiring VCs, the implication is worth sitting with. Your network doesn't have to be local, and your opportunity set is larger than San Francisco or New York. Emerging ecosystems across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia are where early relationship-builders will hold lasting advantage. The infrastructure of trust in these markets is still being laid. There is room to be foundational.

Don't limit your outreach to the obvious hubs. And don't take non-responses personally. People in this industry are genuinely busy. A polite, specific message almost never hurts to send.

The Playbook

If you're building your venture network now, here's a few pointers that might help move the needle:

Build your target map. Identify 10–15 firms you're genuinely interested in. For each: what stage do they invest at, what does their portfolio look like, who's on the team, and — critically — what expertise appears to be missing? That gap is your entry point.

Work the portfolio, not the careers page. For each target fund, identify three to five portfolio founders in your domain. Reach out. Offer something useful. Build that relationship before you ever mention a job.

Make your asks precise. "I've been thinking about the payments space and would love to share a quick memo — would you be open to feedback?" opens far more doors than "I'd love to learn more about what you do."

Build in public. Write the memo. Post the observation. Develop a point of view and share it where it will be read by the people you want to meet.

End every conversation with one question. "Is there anyone else you think it would be useful for me to speak with?" is one of the most compounding sentences in professional life.

The Golden Statement

Sree's closing thought is the one worth carrying with you:

"VC is not binary, and relationships compound over time. When you are reaching out to folks and trying to find ways to potentially collaborate, you should always try to add value. People shouldn't be asking, 'Why should I hire this individual?' — rather, they should say, 'I really want to work with this person, and we should find a way to collaborate.'"

Breaking into venture is less about credentials and more about presence — the kind that's built over months, not minutes. Show up early. Give before you ask. Build relationships that are genuine, specific, and sustained. The offer, when it comes, will feel less like luck and more like the natural result of work you've already done.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Sree on the GoingVC Podcast — including her transition from JPMorgan to venture, building Conduit from zero, and her perspective on the global future of the startup ecosystem. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

A special thanks to Sree Kolli, Founder of Conduit, for sharing her story with such generosity. And to Imran Tehal and Sharran Deora — GoingVC alumni whose paths remind us that the road into venture is rarely linear, and almost always shaped by the right people at the right time.

Ready to build your network with intention? GoingVC's career accelerator has helped hundreds of professionals break into venture by focusing on genuine relationships, real fit, and the skills funds are actually hiring for. [Learn more at GoingVC.com]

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