Hi, I’m David G. Cohen.

I get asked to make many introductions. I’ve noticed a trend lately, which is that more and more of them go something like this:

Hey David, can you introduce me to investors that you think might be interested in my company?

To me, this is the lazyweb version of asking for introductions, and it has many associated problems which will prevent you from reaching your goal of having valuable introductions. This is something we teach aggressively at TechStars. I’ll explain.

First, it flips the social dynamic. Let’s take a specific example. Let’s say that I answer your original LazyWeb question above with “Why yes, Jeff Clavier is someone who comes to mind.”

You are now very likely to reach out to Jeff Clavier and say “David Cohen told me I should talk to you.” Now I’ve created an *obligation* for Jeff. Because of his relationship of me, he may feel that he almost has to take this introduction. While you might think that’s good for you, it’s not and it’s also not so good for Jeff or me. Further, in this situation Jeff is going to ask the inevitable question of whether or not I’m investing in your company – and if the answer is no, the introduction now has no power at all. In fact, it may have negative power.

Now contrast this with you asking me for an introduction to Jeff Clavier. You asking me allows me to reach out to Jeff (I never do blind introductions that are not double opt in) and explain to him that YOU thought of HIM for a specific reason, and are requesting that I introduce you to him. In this case, I’m merely facilitating an introduction that you requested. Socially, it’s pretty much expected of me that I would do this, and doing it as a double-opt in literally has no “cost” in terms of social currency associated with it. And, as a bonus, in the case where I’m not an investor this doesn’t hurt you because you’ve asked for the introduction regardless, for a specific reason relating to Jeff and not me (e.g. you love his experience with Fitbit, and you think that’s relevant to you).

Hopefully this example makes sense. It’s easy to overlook the other side of the introduction equation. The only introductions that truly work are those that are win-win-win, so it’s best to set that dynamic up with a) specific asks to specific people, and b) a specific reason why you want to be connected to them.

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I’m an investor in a company called GiveForward which helps raise money for loved ones, for medical needs. This company has so much “heart” that it’s hard to describe. You feel it in the founders every day, and in the stories that come in from their customers. I am incredibly proud of them for what they’ve built, as well as for what they represent and all the good that they help create in the world.

Ethan Austin, one of the founders, has a blog called “Startups and Burritos” that is really excellent. I noticed a recent post called “Best Job Interview Follow Up Ever” and I felt like I needed to share it. I have no idea why SlideRocket doesn’t make it easy to embed presentations here, so you’ll have to click on the link below to see it.

http://portal.sliderocket.com/BPBOP/GiveForward

This is a great example of a second or third impression. Being different and generating emotion are great follow ups after an interview or first meeting.

This reminds me of another company that I work with through TechStars, called ScriptPad. After first meeting the entrepreneurs I remember liking them and thinking they were doing something important. But then came this video as a follow up.

Second impressions matter.

I’ll leave you with something that Brad Feld always tells me about how Foundry Group filters the massive dealflow that they have. They want every interaction to be better than the last one. These examples show you the power of this in action.

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When I founded TechStars in 2006, the goal was to help discover amazing entrepreneurs and invest in them with not just dollars but also with a new style of super-engaged mentorship. Looking back after six years, we’ve expanded to five locations and TechStars has become something very special. The network of mentors, entrepreneurs, and investors around TechStars provide a tremendous number of unfair advantages to the startups that we fund, and helps them do more faster. TechStars is simply a joy to run. Most importantly, it touches lives and makes a difference in the world.

In 2009, I created a small fund known as Bullet Time Ventures, which had three investment strategies:

• Invest in seed and follow-on rounds of some very interesting companies that have emerged from TechStars, such as SendGrid, Next Big Sound, and Orbotix;
• Invest new companies founded by TechStars alumni, including SimpleGeo (acquired by Urban Airship) and Torbit; and
• Invest in companies that are not directly related to TechStars such as GroupMe (acquired by Skype), Twilio, and Uber.

That first fund is now finished making new investments and I’m very excited about where the companies and the fund will end up.

Earlier today I announced that I’ve closed a fresh $28M fund called Bullet Time Ventures II. This new fund will make initial investments of $50,000-$200,000. I expect that at least half of the investments will be made into startups emerging from TechStars. However, the fund is also designed to invest in any Internet software startup, anywhere.

If you know them, you probably won’t be surprised that I am incredibly humbled by the amazing people that I get to work with at TechStars every day. I feel the same when I consider the list of Limited Partners who have put their faith in me and have provided capital to this new fund. I also want to say a special thank you to everyone who has been a mentor to a TechStars company – you’ve shown the world the power of sharing your experiences and networks with high potential startups. I too have been the lucky beneficiary of game-changing mentorship. Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson have been close personal advisors to me on this journey and I am truly honored to call them friends.

I’m excited to start making new investments right away and to continue to play a small role in support of great entrepreneurs and their startups that change the world.

Let’s do this.

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Consider the email chain below. I’ve assembled it in sequential order and bracketed out some parts that are not public.

It would have been easy to read Mark’s “I did” comment as him being a bunghole. To me, he was saying “Dude, I already sent you that information so here it is again” and my initial reaction was that Mark was cranky and having a bad day. But the mistake in reading the tone was 100% mine. Mark was just complimenting me, saying “I knew” that this [something good] was going to happen to you. Essentially, he was saying it was no surprise to him that I was have success with something. He meant it 100% as a compliment, but it came across to me as a rude tone in email.

We all use email for very quick communications today. Keep in mind, any tone you attribute to a message is generated entirely by your brain, and not by the sender. Right now, are you attributing what I’m saying as “preachy” in tone? Or as a simple attempt to be helpful? It’s impossible for you to know from the word written here. Hopefully I get the benefit of the doubt.

Give the sender the benefit of the doubt on tone. Assume email has no tone.

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In mid-November, Microsoft announced its launch of the Kinect Accelerator, a Seattle-based accelerator program powered by TechStars.

Since then, hundreds of applications have poured in from hackers and entrepreneurs eager to tap into the possibilities of the infinite motion sensing world. What innovative idea that leverages the Kinect do you have? Remember that Kinect is not just for XBox anymore, it’s also going to be widely available on Windows and I’m expecting a whole new array of interesting applications beyond gaming.

Ten accepted companies will receive an equity investment of $20K in exchange for six percent common equity. Microsoft will not retain intellectual property or equity in any of the participating companies but will provide provisioned Xbox development kits, Kinect hardware, the Kinect for Windows SDK and space for testing and developing during the program. Microsoft BizSpark will also supply each of the companies with a full complement of Microsoft development tools and support. The program is managed by Dave Malcolm, who has the distinct knowledge and advantage of being a current TechStars mentor and former Microsoft executive.

Powered by TechStars means that the three month program will be fueled by proven mentor-driven methodology and conclude with a demo day in which founders pitch their Kinect application to a room of potential investors. Microsoft may also collaborate with certain companies to publish their products through Microsoft distribution channels.

Some of the mentors include:

Myself, Founder/CEO, TechStars
Jeff Powers, Founder, Occipital
Andrew Tschesnok, Founder, Organic Motion
Manu Kumar, Investor, K-9 Ventures
Eran Egozy, Founder and CTO, Harmonix
Eric Norlin, Organizer, Blur, Defrag, and Glue conferences
Jason Mendelson, Managing Director, Foundry Group
Brad Feld, Managing Director, Foundry Group

And folks from Microsoft:

Dan’l Lewin, Corporate VP, Strategic and Emerging Business Development
Craig Eisler, General Manager, Kinect for Windows
Phil Spencer, VP, Microsoft Games Studios
Anoop Gupta, Distinguished Scientist, Microsoft Research
Michael Mott, General Manager, Microsoft Games Studios
Rick Martinez, Executive Producer, Microsoft Studios
Dave Drach, Managing Director, Emerging Business Team
Adam Isgreen, Creative Director, Microsoft Studios
Jeff Matsushita, Executive Producer, Microsoft Studios
Rhys Dekle, Director, Business Development, Microsoft Studios

Applications are open and due by January 25th, 2012 at midnight GMT.

The program will run from March to May of 2012. If you have additional questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to check out the FAQ.

What will you do with Kinect?

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TEDxBoulder is 8 days away. It’s going to be another huge event and there are just a few seats left. If you don’t have yours yet, you should hurry it up already before it’s too late. Check out those speakers!

I also just wanted to give a quick shout out to Andrew Hyde and his crew who put this on here in Boulder. This is a ton of work but it’s so nice to have something so interesting and powerful here in Boulder. It’s an awesome event with some fantastic and inspiring speakers.

More on Facebook too.

Andrew also has a few sponsorships left ($2k and includes balcony box seats which are a really a fun place to watch the show).

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