>Doesn't that tell you something right there?
No, and a cursory Googling quantitatively debunks this bias, though it's obviously a convenient assertion to give a VC a little more reassurance on an early investment.
But really, are we all not just 'absolute strangers', 'random individuals from the internet', with a 'random early stage startup'... until we're not?
Our incredibly finite networks only form one way—by meeting new people—which has to happen somehow. Clearly there is a mutual vetting process before agreeing to work together; and extending beyond one's current network doesn't necessarily represent a failure of one (or one's current network) to satisfy each relationship. See also Joy's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy's_law_(management)
Well, we are all strangers until we are not...but confounding with an acquaintance means I’ve had a chance to get the person before working with them ( like hiring via referrals rather than hiring blind.)
But really, are we all not just 'absolute strangers', 'random individuals from the internet', with a 'random early stage startup'... until we're not?
Our incredibly finite networks only form one way—by meeting new people—which has to happen somehow. Clearly there is a mutual vetting process before agreeing to work together; and extending beyond one's current network doesn't necessarily represent a failure of one (or one's current network) to satisfy each relationship. See also Joy's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy's_law_(management)