How to make a business networking platform work in Asia?

I moved to SF from Michigan for my startup a few years back, best decision ever. Lots of events, lots of talent and very accessible vc's. Its all quite natural. Just get into the mix. there is literally events all day everyday somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area. Use some of the free ticket services to find good Events. Join an incubator like plug and play tech center. Network! make sure to do the Palo Alto scene as well as the San Francisco scene, very different.

I would create an account with Manageflitter and/or Followerwonk - both integrate with Twitter. I know that many people feel negatively about Twitter but here's why it's great, especially for your quesiton: There are no privacy settings. Facebook and LinkedIn have tons of walls you run into while cruising around looking for potential buyers. And the other social networks are not conducive to time-effective/cost-effective networking for other reasons. With these tools (Manageflitter and Followerwonk), you can search the bios of Twitter accounts for DPC, TPA, and any other relevant keyword. You can search within your location, or throughout Twitter as a whole. From there, the tools allow you to classify (List) or interact (Follow) them. After that, I'd encourage you to engage them subtly, by favoriting and retweeting a few of their Tweets over several days. Then begin a conversation with them, ideally about a mutual interest or some random thing they specify in their bio. After a back-and-forth tweet or two, bring up your services tactfully. Ask them honestly if they need what you are offering. If they don't, maybe they know someone who is. At the very least, you'll have a relevant networking partner/friend! Another very valuable use of your time would be to post in LinkedIn groups. They are more professional than Facebook groups, and it's common for people to post jobs and other networking opportunities there, as well as pitch their own services. (See the lengthy URL at the bottom of this answer for an example). Hope that helps - I'd love to talk more; there are several other ways you could go about connecting with DPC's and TPA's online. Thanks, Evan http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1783783&trk=vsrp_groups_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A1618903721380231777057%2CVSRPtargetId%3A1783783%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary

Hello Areriel, It can be hard to know where to start at beginning. What I suggest you do it to start a blog about the things you'd like to be doing. Then start building you following on the social media. Use Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to connect and engage with industry professionals. Go to industry events and connect with people. Make business cards of your blog and give it to them. Be interested in what they do and they will become interested in what you do. If you're interested for a call, I can teach you exactly how you can connect with industry professionals online and offline. Just send me in advance the city you'd like to work in (I guess that's LA) and more info of what you'd really want to do. This is my VIP link for a free call https://clarity.fm/martinzhel/inbound I will be glad to help you out.

I've done a lot of work in this space (created the new art of conference network: Hashtags to handshakes). Here are a few thoughts for you: -get clear on you goal(s) and the type of people who can help you. -take inventory of what you have to offer(use this acronym Work history, Hobbies, Education, Network) -once you see the people you want to connect with, do the online research to see if you already have something or someone in common(LinkedIn). -read and comment on their content or something in their profile. -Invite them to 15min virtual coffee as an introduction call. (Be in a "how can I be of assistant mindset) -ask them two question during your virtual coffee (1. What are you working on that you're most passionate about? 2. What the biggest challenge?). Once you know someone's challenge you can find ways to be helpful. -Be patient. -let me know if you need more support ;)

Yes, it's foolish. People can disagree about how much value there is in a MBA, but that's not the point. You've identified two targets - being an entrepreneur and building out your network. Go straight for the jugular, not some round about way through school. Want to build your network? Take half the money you would've spent on grad school and support yourself while you explore early business opportunities and network like mad. It's quite simple. Want to build your network? Spend your time, money and energy networking in the right places. Going to school for networking only is like going grocery shopping every day hoping you'll meet your future spouse in the aisles. Taking it to the extreme... take that money and throw massive parties, sponsor relevant meetups, make a $5k investment in a startup, etc. [Source: I dropped out of school with only a few courses left to found my startup that became a VC backed Silicon Valley company.]