In January 2018, I reconnected with an industry leader that I'd briefly met at a summer internship who was extremely supportive of my startup and made two intros (one at his new company and one to a nonprofit that talks about our problem space). This person is incredibly dynamic and assumed his deputies would launch our product and the nonprofit would back us since we are social entrepreneurs.
Fast-forward and we've just been crushed. His deputy blew us off for 9 months at a time and now has left the company. The co-head of the nonprofit was offended at the idea of helping a for-profit entity but his partner loved our thing and wanted to help. Then the partner left a month later. This same pattern has played out over and over as we can't get through bureaucracy.
I'm thinking of reaching out to the leader and asking for another contact at his company since the deputy left and for other intros. I'm wondering whether I should be honest about how badly things have gone or whether successful people like this only want to back winners. Thanks for any suggestions.
Fast-forward and we've just been crushed. His deputy blew us off for 9 months at a time and now has left the company. The co-head of the nonprofit was offended at the idea of helping a for-profit entity but his partner loved our thing and wanted to help. Then the partner left a month later. This same pattern has played out over and over as we can't get through bureaucracy.
I'm thinking of reaching out to the leader and asking for another contact at his company since the deputy left and for other intros. I'm wondering whether I should be honest about how badly things have gone or whether successful people like this only want to back winners. Thanks for any suggestions.