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This case introduces Heidi Roizen, a venture capitalist at Softbank. She initiallydedicated herself as an entrepreneur. Roizen had worked at Tandem, where she had created strong relationships with the CEO of the company. He wrote her a letter of recommendation after she graduated from Stanford, which helped Roizen to start their company with her brother, and named it as T/Maker in 1979. Roizen worked with many other big names in the business where she enhanced her network to better position herself to avail future opportunities.

Problem statement

Roizen joined Softbank in 1999 as a venture capitalist. Within a couple of months, she found herself fully committed to the position. Roizen was confused whether she should remain a venture capitalist or should she continuously enhance the network she had created over the years for it had served her well in the past.


After evaluating the case, it was analyzed that Roizen had worked with many big names in the corporate sector. Furthermore, it would enable her to create a network of contacts and personal relations. By effectively using these networking contacts, she enabled herself to attain and secure important positions and had benefitted her both personally and professionally.Furthermore, Roizen could enhance her network to a level where she would utilize optimum benefit from them are as follows:

Right people under focus: Roizen, instead of handing out business cards at random networking event, should concentrate on those people that could help or support and would propel her career forwards.

Creating a Win-Win Situation: Roizen should create a win-win situation for both parties that are networking so that neither one feels cheated or used, which could enhance and ensure the long-term relationship between the parties, where they could come back and ask for help from each other, and the peoplewould be more likely to help out.

Giving before Receiving:Roizen, instead of asking for help in a networking relationship, should turn the tables and offer support to the parties engaged in a network relation. Furthermore, it could make the networking partner grateful and would enhance his probability to return the favor.

Finding connectors:Roizen should identify the key people that have access to the individual, resources, and information so that she could find new ways to connect with the people that would provide benefit in propelling her career further.

Be a Connector:Roizen, instead of building a relationship with connector all the time, should introduce people who could help each other sothat, she would be praised by the networking partners, which, in turn, would enhance the network relationships with her partners.

Reconnecting:Roizen should maintain effective communication with contacts to sustain relationships with them. Furthermore, it would also show her dedication towards maintaining the relationship. Moreover, it could compel the contacts to go out of their way to support her.

Social networking:Roizen should use social networking tools available on the internet including Facebook and LinkedIn to connect with her contacts on the net. Moreover, Roizen should do so in order to enhance and gain  her connection. Furthermore, it would improve her network, and gain an advantage to propel her both professionally and personally.

Networking Group:Roizen should create networking groups to gain like-minded people and further enhance her network relationships. Moreover, it would improve her ability to propel her career.

Roizen could identify the key factors that would increase thenetworking capacity so that it would provide additional benefit in driving her career forward. The following are the types of networks necessary for business.

  1. Operational Networking.
  2. Personal Networking.
  3. Strategic Networking.

Operational Networking:Functionalnetworking focuseson gaining or forming relationships with networking partners to accomplish a job efficiently. Furthermore, it would enable Roizen to get things done. The contacts developed are mostly internal and are focused on current demand of the networking partners, which, in turn, would enable Roizen to build strong working relationships with networking partners.

Personal Networking:Roizen should enhance personal and professional development with its networking partners. Moreover, it would allow Roizen to get information and more referrals from the networking partners. Additionally, it could also improve her capacity to benefit from the networking relationship. The contacts established are mostly externals and are focused towards current and future interests of the networking partners, which would enable Roizen to reach contacts that could make referrals.

Strategic Networking: Roizen should develop and maintain a healthy relationship with industrial peers and seniors executive, and she should look beyond theindustry as well to enhance relationships with networking partners. Furthermore, Roizenwould provide benefits by propelling her career further. Moreover, it would also allow her to share ideas and best practices. In addition to this, she should learn new approaches while keeping a tab on the development of the business and its related technologies..............................


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