Be Champagne, Not Flat Soda

Building a strong network is a skill. Annie Riley sits down with Whitnie Narcisse, former First Round Capital Partner, to unpack how she has built one of the best networks in Silicon Valley. Whitnie breaks down how to be memorable and build connections that last using her FACE framework (Factual, Authentic, Credible, and Engaging). Plus: why most networking advice falls flat, how to design rooms people want to be in, and the biggest networking mistake most people make.

Time Stamps:

00:00 – Whitnie's 3 biggest career inflection points

05:50 - How Whitnie got to First Round

06:50 – Agency in networking

09:30 – What actually gets a response

11:30 – Async networking and respecting people’s time

13:30 – Why most networking formats don’t work

15:30 – Building a high-value community and ecosystem

18:30 – The secret to great events

21:00 – How to create meaningful connections

23:30 – The FACE framework: how to be memorable