By "right group of people" I'm referring to the people you work with, the parties you attend, and the people you meet - of which the investors are only one part.
People namedrop in this industry similar to what they do in the entertainment industry. Not everyone is clued in as far as how unimportant or ubiquitous that namedropping is. There is a halo that is created. And guess what if you get funded even by a firm that people in the know think is "b" list, local investors in your city or even non-clued in potential employees will still think it's a big deal. Many people are impressed when someone is a Physician. They don't always think between the degrees of impressiveness the "MD" degree gives you a certain cache.