Building a Diverse Network as an Entrepreneur

Mentorship has been a cornerstone of my career, but my approach to building a network of mentors has evolved over time. Early on, I thought the best mentors were those who mirrored my role—essentially a more successful, more experienced version of myself. But I’ve since realized that this myopic approach often misses the mark. Some of the most valuable mentors I’ve had weren’t in venture capital at all. They came from adjacent industries like asset management, tackling challenges that are analogous to mine but offering perspectives I couldn’t see from within my own field. Here’s why this works: 1. Outside perspectives reveal blind spots: Mentors outside your industry can identify dynamics in your business that might be invisible to you because you're too close to them. These insights are invaluable for seeing the bigger picture. 2. Diverse thinking adds depth: A broader, more diverse network of mentors exposes you to new ways of solving problems, offering frameworks and strategies you might not encounter within your immediate circle. Building a mentor base is critical, but diversity is key. Don’t just look for people who are “you in 20 years” with more success. Instead, seek mentors with fresh perspectives and different lenses. That’s where the real value lies.

Pro tip if you want to get ahead in life: build your relationships through shared, purpose-driven activities. I’ve found that some of the most powerful relationships in my career, ones that have led to real revenue and meaningful opportunities, didn’t come from a “networking mixer.” They came from volunteering, or from being shoulder-to-shoulder with others at a philanthropic event. The FIRST article I ever read when I invented my own pasta sauce ten years ago was in the Harvard Business Review (linkedin in bio) that showed that shared activities, whether it’s volunteering, serving on a nonprofit board, or even something as simple as playing a weekly sport, create deeper and more diverse connections than traditional networking ever could. It's called the Shared Activities Principle. They unite people from different backgrounds around a common purpose, rather than clustering like-minded peers in the same echo chamber. At our dinners, we would get people to work together to create the meal, essentially inventing a container for shared activities for strangers to meet, to serve others. HBR wrote that if more than 65% of your network is made up of people you introduced yourself to, your network is probably too homogenous to bring you new ideas or opportunities. Shared activities break that pattern. When you volunteer, you’re meeting other people who also have a giving mentality. They’re givers by nature. Which means when life or business gets tough, those are the people most likely to show up for you. That’s not something you often find in a transactional cocktail-hour exchange of business cards. So here’s my invitation: Instead of another “networking event,” try joining a fundraiser, a Habitat for Humanity build, or a nonprofit board meeting. Invest your time in something that matters. You’ll not only serve a cause you care about, you’ll build a network rooted in generosity, trust, and shared purpose. For the leaders reading this, try sponsoring a volunteer day for your team. An entire day where your team still gets paid, but gets paid to do good. Bonus points if you can get folks from different teams that normally don't talk, to volunteer together. That's when cross-functional creativity, innovation, and mentorship occurs. P.S. If anybody has any ideas for volunteering in NYC, my DM's are always open. Me, Andy Ellwood, and John Vatalaro love volunteering on Saturday's at a Food Pantry in nyc, but would love so many more opportunities, please!

If you care about diversity and inclusion, it will start with your network. I often look at who is commenting and engaging with people’s content, especially on LinkedIn. It’s truly amazing how many men have predominantly men in their network. Worse yet, only white men. Although, I will say, when I look at a black woman’s posts, it’s mostly (not predominantly) black women commenting and engaging. The beauty about social media, particularly LinkedIn, is that your network doesn’t have to be pigeon-holed in a specific gender or ethnicity, or in one city, state or country. I took a good look at my network and felt that who I was engaging with had created a really small bubble around me. I’ve lived in some amazing cities: 🏙 Toronto 🍟 Montreal 🗽 New York 😇 Los Angeles 🤑 Reno, NV 🏔 Park City, UT 🍹 Sao Paulo, Brazil ...and now Salt Lake City But who I was engaging with put a very heavy emphasis in one region and I realized I was missing what was happening with people in my other networks. So I did a major purge with my connections. I wanted to make sure I was engaging with people in my old networks in those different cities. And I’ve been making sure I’m following a really good diverse set of thought leaders from different backgrounds. I’ve even been following people that have completely different political and religious backgrounds so I’m not living in a bubble of ONLY like-minded people. So take a moment to look at your networks on your social media platforms, LinkedIn specifically. Make sure you’re creating a diverse and inclusive network. Make sure you’re learning about other people’s perspective on a myriad of life topics. Make sure you’re following different people in your industry from around the country or the world. Make sure you’re learning from different thought leaders from completely different backgrounds. And once you see how cool, impactful, and wonderful your network becomes, then maybe you will understand why diversity matters and how you can apply it to other parts of your life both personally and professionally. Do you pay attention to the amount of diversity your LinkedIn network has? Do you think this is only a LinkedIn issue compared to other social networks? (I think so) Have you ever taken the time to edit, purge, and diversify your network and if you have, has it made a difference? #robynsthoughts #diversitymatters #yournetworkisyournetworth