What makes me good at Networking: Connecting Dots with Lines
The world we see and feel in the movie Matrix is a virtual world made of numbers and data. To me, all people I met seem like numerous dots, and these black dots seem connected by multiple lines.
Sometimes people say I'm good at networking; it’s probably because the world looks like dots and bars like the numbers and data in the movie Matrix.
I was thrilled when I succeeded in finding talents for clients. I could draw the lines between companies and qualified people as a headhunter. I loved that job.
Someday, I got a chance to go to Silicon Valley 7 years ago. I felt that the dots and lines were much expanded. I was eager to be part of this startup world. That’s why I choose to join the company I work for now.
After joining the company, the first project was about introducing the bio-startup ecosystem in South Korea to other countries. At first, I had met companies, including venture capital and startups in South Korea. But I had to go to the United States to draw that extensive line between South Korea and other countries. I tried to get permission for this business travel. Finally, I could go to the United States. I visited five cities, including New York, Boston, Washington, San Francisco, and Houston, for 12 days.
I had meetings with Korean bio experts like researchers in NIH, representatives of bio associations like KASBP(Korean American Society in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals), lawers, a CEO of a medical device startup, and people from government agencies. I remember falling asleep while traveling by car and train by plane during this long trip.
After the business travel, I finished the project of making 19 bio series with a production company.
I created a youtube channel and uploaded those videos. I promoted the series through my contact numbers and e-mail addresses. Also, I asked an influencer, a stock investor, to share the video link with his followers, and he did it.
One day, I got a call from a journalist. I asked him,
“How do you know about this video series?”
He answered,
“Those videos were ranked on the top list. I couldn’t help but watch them.
Are you the person who planned and produced those videos?”
I will never forget that moment. I felt I had achieved something remarkable.
However, the youtube channel was shut down by order of the CEO for a while. Six months later, I had to find an online media that owned its Youtube channel to collaborate with. It was not a perfect solution, but I had to accept it.
The project result was like this; One medical device company merged with another. Three bio startups succeeded in IPOs.
Two weeks ago, I held a global seminar. International experts participated in this event as speakers. They specialize in open innovation, investment, and global talent sourcing. International speakers were from South Korea, Hongkong, and Singapore.
Over two hundred people attended the two-day seminar, and the event ended successfully.
Drawing dots and lines... It's always exciting for me.