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Comment by pg | Hacker News Reader

Well known VCs also matter in doing deals. Big companies will now return your calls.

I've heard this phenomenon mentioned many times, but I've never seen any convincing explanation for why this happens. When you phone a big company, do they look you up on crunchbase to see who invested in you? Do they simply respond more to startups which have had the large amount of media attention which comes with being funded by a high profile VC? Do they have their arms twisted behind the scenes by said high profile VCs? All of the above?

I'm sure this is something you've thought about, so I'd love to hear what explanations you've come up with.

The VCs do the intro.

- the vc's themselves will have large person networks if they're working at a top tier VC. more often than not, if you need a deal done with company X they'll have a personal connection to someone there. this isn't a vc-specific value-add

- top tier vc's don't hold just young startup investments. they'll have mature companies, who have likely done deals with some of the big companies you're looking to do deals with. again leveraging their network.

- if a top tier vc has invested in you, most big company execs will assume you're not going out of business anytime soon (right or wrong that's their mindset - it's amazing how corporate types grab for blue chip names/brands at every opportunity) making them more comfortable doing business with you and not big company Y

I have heard many people say this. But to me it means one of two things: either the VCs are very good at taking credit for work done by the entrepreneur, or the entrepreneur is failing at their job. As a founder, it is my job to be the best in the industry, and to have others in the industry introduce me as such to potential customers. VCs are a distant second in importance (but not self-importance).

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