This post is the quintessential post about how success is about being part of the right networks. The cynical part of me calls it the old boys network, the realistic part says that unless you travel in the "right circles" your chances of real success are low. Despite what VCs will tell you about being in the right market, with the right team, and having "traction" and all that, those things only matter (and probably not much) if you aren't in the right network and circles. If you're in the right network, then having the wrong product, wrong market, wrong team, wrong market fit, bad traction, etc. doesn't really matter because those networks will "fix" those problems for you. VC isn't a meritocracy, it's a fairly closed network, and if you can get in you can be successful. For everyone else, success (of the Figma type) is almost near impossible.