Intro economy

The intro economy is the (mostly unspoken) market for warm introductions in startup ecosystems. It's how investors meet founders, how operators move between companies, how acquisitions begin. The currency is social capital. Every time someone says "sure, happy to make that intro," capital flows from them to you - and they're tracking the balance whether they say so or not.

Rules of the game:

• Asks compound. The first intro from someone is cheap. The fifth one in a quarter is expensive. Don't saturate.
• Make more than you take. The healthiest accounts net out positive - you've introduced more people than you've asked to be introduced to.
• Quality beats quantity. One thoughtful, well-researched intro builds more credit than five generic ones.
• Follow up. If someone makes an intro for you, telling them how the conversation went (without being asked) is the single most under-used move in the economy.

Events are where new accounts get opened. A ten-minute conversation at a Luma event with someone connected to your ecosystem is the start of a possible intro relationship. Going to events without follow-through wastes the most valuable thing they offer - access to the people who can make warm intros that no LinkedIn search can produce.