A true story
How I got the intro with Sequoia
that led to my Seed Round
that led to my Seed Round
My friends kept connecting me to people just like me
--but I needed--
Top Tier investors
Google Calendar -- April 2026
April 2026
Mon
13
Tue
14
Wed
15
Thu
16
Fri
17
9 AM
10 AM
11 AM
12 PM
1 PM
2 PM
3 PM
4 PM
David (advisor)10:00 AM
Top Tier investor?
Top Tier investor?
Maya (customer)11:00 AM
Tom (old friend)12:30 PM
Top Tier investor?
Jake (advisor)2:30 PM
My network
top tier investors (out of reach)
The wall
couldn't get to
top tier investors
top tier investors
narrating
The situation
I was raising a seed round.
Every week
A few meetings -- advisors, friends, customers. Familiar faces.
But
They never led to investor intros.
My network
Top Tier investors (out of reach)
500 connections.
Zero signal.
linkedin.com/in/jake-l./connections
in
🔍
Sequoia Capital investor
Jake L.
Founder (2x) · Angel Investor
Connections500+
Mutual47
Path to gold???
Jake's connections500+ — no signal
Ron B.
Managing Partner · Fund
3 mutual
Connect
Sarah M.
Investor · Palo Alto
1 mutual
Connect
Tom K.
Product Manager · Startup
12 mutual
Connect
James W.
VC Associate · SF
2 mutual
Connect
Amy L.
Founder · B2B SaaS
8 mutual
Connect
490 more... same opaque list
LinkedIn · the problem
500 connections. All familiar.
I had hit my network's limits.
No path out.
New Message
To
J
Jake L.From
yaniv@gmail.comFollowing up... 🙏
Hey Jake,
Just following up on my last message. Please, if you could take a few moments to think about who in your network might introduce me to Top Tier investors -- it would really mean a lot to me.
I know it's a big ask but even just one name would be amazing. No rush... but soon 😅
Thanks so much 🙏🙏
Just following up on my last message. Please, if you could take a few moments to think about who in your network might introduce me to Top Tier investors -- it would really mean a lot to me.
I know it's a big ask but even just one name would be amazing. No rush... but soon 😅
Thanks so much 🙏🙏
narrating
The tone
My follow-ups were embarrassing. Begging instead of asking.
The ask
Vague, hopeful. "Think of anyone." No specific name. No reason to act.
The result
Jake reads it. Feels the weight. Forgets by Friday.
Then
I
started
using
InTouch.
The Strategic Ask Brief
Before
every
meeting
--
a
briefing.
The
path
out
of
my
garden,
and
exactly
who
to
ask
for.
linkedin.com/in/jake-l./connections
in
🔍
Jake L. · 500+ connections
Jake L.
Founder (2x) · Angel Investor
Connections500+
Mutual47
Jake's connections500+
Ron B.
Managing Partner · Fund
3 mutual
Connect
Sarah M.
Investor · Palo Alto
1 mutual
Connect
Tom K.
Product Manager · Startup
12 mutual
Connect
James W.
VC Associate · SF
2 mutual
Connect
Amy L.
Founder · B2B SaaS
8 mutual
Connect
David P.
GP · Early Stage Fund
5 mutual
Connect
Lisa K.
COO · Series B Startup
4 mutual
Connect
Mark R.
Angel Investor · NYC
6 mutual
Connect
InTouch · Scanning Jake L.
SCANNING
JL
Jake L.
Founder (2x) · Angel Investor · 500+ connections
● Scanning...
InTouch — High-signal paths found
RB
Ron B. · Managing Partner
Jake intro'd him to 3 of his portfolio founders
Top Tier
SM
Sascha M. · Angel · ex-Sequoia
2° from Sequoia Capital partnership
2° Sequoia
GM
Guy M. · Partner Emeritus · GC
Direct General Catalyst relationship
Direct GC
497 other connections — low signal, filtered out
InTouch is scanning
Looking for
strategic intros
strategic intros
InTouch is evaluating
Evaluating who will
respond to Jake
respond to Jake
InTouch · network scan
I was meeting with Jake -- a founder with deep VC connections.
Before the meeting, InTouch scanned his network.
Who he could reach -- and who could connect me up, to investors I couldn't access on my own.
Strategic Ask Brief · InTouch
Strategic Ask Brief -- Your meeting with Jake L. today 5:30pm
JL
Jake L.
Founder (2x acquired) · Angel · Palo Alto
Serial founder turned active angel. Strong network into early-stage B2B investors -- Govtech and enterprise SaaS.
Your path out -- ask for these intros
Ron B. -- Govtech Fund
Managing Partner · San Francisco
GovTech-focused VC, directly aligned with Jake's background. Shaul O. (also in today's meeting) is a mutual connection.
● High response likelihood -- mutual connection bridging
• 1° from Top Tier
Sascha M. -- Angel Investor
3 Exits ($1B+) · SF
Highly aligned founder-to-investor profile. Jake likely knows them from the SF ecosystem.
• 2° from Top Tier
Guy M. -- Miasnik Ventures
4x CEO/Founder · Investor
55 mutual connections to you. Active investor -- a bridge deeper into the network.
• 3° from Top Tier
1° direct
2° one hop
3° bridge
InTouch · the brief
What changed
Then InTouch sent me a Strategic Ask Brief.
Three paths out
Specific people. Specific reasons. Ordered by how close they are to Top Tier.
I walk in knowing
Exactly who to ask for. Jake said yes before I finished the sentence.
Google Calendar
April 2026
InTouch Active
Mon
13
Tue
14
Wed
15
Thu
16
Fri
17
9 AM
10 AM
11 AM
12 PM
1 PM
2 PM
3 PM
4 PM
David (advisor)9:00 AMMy network
Ron B. -- Govtech1:00 PM · via David2° from Top Tier
Sarah K. -- Angel10:00 AM · via David2° from Top Tier
Sascha M. -- Angel2:00 PM · via Jake2° from Top Tier
* Sequoia Partner9:00 AM · via SaschaTop Tier VC
Maya (customer)11:00 AMMy network
Enterprise contact3:00 PM · via Maya2° from Top Tier
Lena R. -- Founder10:00 AM · via Maya2° from Top Tier
Tom (old friend)1:00 PMMy network
Guy M. -- Advisor4:00 PM · via Tom2° from Top Tier
Nir S. -- Deep tech10:00 AM · via Tom2° from Top Tier
Jake L. (advisor)3:00 PM · originWhere it started
InTouch · narrating
What happened next
Each meeting started generating more intros -- to investors, founders, and top advisors.
The shift
Access was opening up.
Google Calendar
April 2026
InTouch Active
Mon
13
Tue
14
Wed
15
Thu
16
Fri
17
9 AM
10 AM
11 AM
12 PM
1 PM
2 PM
3 PM
4 PM
David (advisor)9:00 AMMy network
Ron B. -- Govtech1:00 PM · via David2° from Top Tier
Sarah K. -- Angel10:00 AM · via David2° from Top Tier
Sascha M. -- Angel2:00 PM · via Jake2° from Top Tier
* Sequoia Partner9:00 AM · via SaschaTop Tier VC
Maya (customer)11:00 AMMy network
Enterprise contact3:00 PM · via Maya2° from Top Tier
Lena R. -- Founder10:00 AM · via Maya2° from Top Tier
Tom (old friend)1:00 PMMy network
Guy M. -- Advisor4:00 PM · via Tom2° from Top Tier
Nir S. -- Deep tech10:00 AM · via Tom2° from Top Tier
Jake L. (advisor)3:00 PM · originWhere it started
Google Calendar
April 2026
InTouch Active
Mon
20
Tue
21
Wed
22
Thu
23
Fri
24
9 AM
10 AM
11 AM
12 PM
1 PM
2 PM
3 PM
4 PM
* VC PartnerTop Tier VC
Founder introvia David
* Top Tier AdvisorStrategic
David (advisor)My network
* Top Tier Angelvia Sascha
* VC PartnerAccel
* Top Tier CustomerEnterprise
* VC Partnervia Ron B.
* Top Tier AngelAngel investor
Enterprise leadvia Maya
* Top Tier AdvisorBoard member
Alumni contactMy network
Connector introvia Jake
* Top Tier VCSequoia
* Top Tier CustomerFortune 500
Tom (friend)My network
* VC Partnervia Sascha
* Top Tier Angel3 exits
* Top Tier AngelAngel investor
Team advisorMy network
* VC PartnerGen. Catalyst
* Top Tier Advisorvia David
Serial foundervia Tom
* Top Tier VCa16z
Jake L. (advisor)Origin
* Top Tier VCBenchmark
* Top Tier CustomerSaaS leader
* VC Partnervia enterprise
LP introvia VC
* Top Tier AdvisorOperating
InTouch · narrating
Compounding
The momentum compounded.
The result
Better meetings. Higher confidence.
0
top tier meetings
From
conversations
I
was
already
having.
Advisors
->
Connectors
->
Top Tier investors
InTouch
Stop
networking
in
circles.
Find
the
path
out.
Request access ->
Watch a walkthrough
intouch.ai
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