Next Thursday evening, May 22nd, The Capital Network (TCN) and the New England Venture Network (NEVN) are sponsoring a networking event being held from 6 to 10 PM at the Emerging Enterprise Center at Foley Hoag in Waltham, MA.

TCN and NEVN are two of the area’s preeminent organizations for providing a community for bringing together entrepreneurs and investors, and have put together the event: “Networking for Startups: Why a Good Pitch Deck is No Substitute for Good Conversation” to bring together entrepreneurs and the Boston area’s leading angel and venture firms for an evening of wine, food, and networking.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, despite appearances to the contrary, you can’t simply send a business plan to an investor in the hopes that they will read it. You really need either a warm introduction or a personal connection to an investor or a firm before they will even consider looking at your business plan.

Short of knowing someone on the inside, your best bet to getting to know an investor is meeting them! An event like this one is an instant meeting place — so sign up, hone your elevator pitch and show up and start networking. If you are an entrepreneur looking for an audience, this is a MUST event.

© Eye on Startups & The Startup Guidebook

(In the interest of fair disclosure, I should mention that I am on the board of TCN.)