The Super Connectors

introstars
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

The show where super connectors share their journey, purpose and strategies to make great business connections, inspiring the next generation of introducers & connectors.

  1. 3d ago

    The Super Connectors 67 with Michael Frank (NYC)

    “Don’t you ever turn it off?”“No.” 😂 That was Michael J Frank's answer when his son asked why he’s ALWAYS networking. And he means it. Michael went on a spa weekend with his wife, started chatting to the woman sitting next to him… “Oh, I’ve got this startup.” Michael: “Oh, hello. I have Gildre.” New customer 😂 That pretty much sums up our latest episode of The Super Connectors podcast. Michael has built Gildre into a community of 200+ members and 100+ startups across 20 countries. But one of his best pieces of advice was incredibly simple: “You don’t know who you’re standing next to.” Get your head out of the laptop. Talk to people. Treat everyone with respect. Help people when you can. We also got onto the subject of getting PAID for introductions. Apparently Michael’s wife has been telling him this for years: “You do these things for free. You should make some money on it.” I like her already 😂 And my other favourite Michael money-saving tip? If you’re complaining about spending $59 a month on building your network while buying a $12 Starbucks every day… “Go buy some Lipton tea bags.” 😂 Really fun conversation about founders, community, introductions, giving back and why networking doesn’t stop at 5pm on Friday. Listen to the full episode here 👇 And if you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 67 with Michael Frank (NYC)

  2. Sep 28

    The Super Connectors 66 with Andy Choi (NYC)

    “I was going to make a shit ton of money and THEN give back.”😂That was Andy Choi’s original life plan.Then he realised… why wait?In the latest episode of The Super Connectors podcast, we talked about something I really care about: how you connect people AND make a positive impact at the same time.Andy started his first company at 14, has built seven startups, and now runs Do Good.His philosophy is pretty simple: “Profit with purpose.”Doing good doesn’t mean you have to be poor.And nonprofits still need to make money, pay people and keep the lights on.As Andy put it: “Who runs the soup kitchen? Who pays the bills?”“Our actions should reflect what we believe in.”That’s why his company is called Do Good, not Think Good 😂We talked about money, values, philanthropy, referrals, and why some of the strongest relationships are built around something you both genuinely care about.Really interesting conversation.Listen to the full episode here 👇And if you’d like to meet other purpose-driven super connectors, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 66 with Andy Choi (NYC)

  3. Sep 25

    The Super Connectors 65 with Jacob Solano (NYC)

    “Super Connector? It makes me cringe.” 😂 Not quite the answer I expected from Jacob Solano on The Super Connectors podcast. But his point was a good one: Anyone can be a super connector. You don’t need to know 10,000 people. You just need to understand what someone needs and know the right person to help. Jacob has gone from volunteering at Andrew Yeung’s events to helping build Fibe and some of NYC’s best-known founder events. And I loved their slightly creepy networking trick: before their dinners, they stalk the attendees. Then they create bingo cards with random facts about everyone. Who climbed Mount Everest? Who raised millions? Who did something completely unexpected? Suddenly you have a reason to talk to someone that ISN’T “So… what do you do?” We also talked about double opt-in introductions, why most event organizers are really matchmakers, and the rather glamorous reality of tracking introductions:“ We put it on a spreadsheet, and then it’s f****d and terrible.” 😂 And Jacob’s latest unicorn? A habit tracker he was convinced would go viral. It flopped. Even better, he later discovered half the images didn’t work on other people’s phones 😂 Really fun conversation about community, introductions, IRL events, vibe coding and learning by actually building stuff. Listen to the full episode 👇 And if you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 65 with Jacob Solano (NYC)

  4. Sep 23

    The Super Connectors 63 with Josh Ness (NYC)

    Most people walk into a networking event and immediately ask “What do you do?” Josh Ness thinks that’s the wrong place to start. When I interviewed Josh for The Super Connectors podcast, he said something I loved: 👉 “To every third grader, a fourth grader is a god.” His point: we tend to underestimate what we have to offer. You don’t need to be a CEO, an investor or someone with 10,000 LinkedIn connections to be useful to someone else. You know people they don’t know. You’ve had experiences they haven’t had. You know things they don’t know. Josh’s approach to networking is simple: stop sizing people up by their job title. Ask them what they’re watching on Netflix. Find out what they’re into. Get to know the actual person. Because very often, the person standing in front of you isn’t the person who has what you’re looking for anyway. They might, however, know exactly the person you should meet. “If all you’re doing is qualifying somebody based on their job title and company, then you’re not going to get very far.” Josh moved to New York with no job, no friends and nowhere to live. Today, he’s one of the most connected people in the startup ecosystem. And I think there’s something important in how he got there: he never forgot that networking is really just people meeting people. This episode has a lot of practical stuff in it that I wish more people were taught when they first started networking. If you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 63 with Josh Ness (NYC)

  5. Sep 23

    The Super Connectors 64 with Ashley Grace Jefferson (NYC)

    “What do you do?” Possibly the most boring question at a networking event 😂 My latest guest on The Super Connectors podcast, Ashley Grace Jefferson, has a solution. Question cards. When people arrive at her events, she gives them a card with a question designed to get them talking about something OTHER than work. Because otherwise we all do the same thing: “What do you do?” Give the same rehearsed answer for the 50th time. Get bored of hearing ourselves speak 😂 Ashley said some people initially look at the cards and think they’re a bit cheesy. By the end of the night, they love them. Because they’ve actually got to know each other as PEOPLE before pitching what they do. Ashley quit her cushy six-figure corporate job in 2023, started going to 2 or 3 events every week, and eventually built F3, her community of founders, funders and fractionals, to 2,000+ people. We also talked about something a lot of super connectors struggle with: Is it OK to get paid for making a great introduction? Ashley is only just starting to get comfortable with saying YES. Really fun conversation with NYC’s self-proclaimed “startup baddie.” And yes, I practised saying “baddie” before we recorded 😂 Listen to the full episode now! And if you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 64 with Ashley Grace Jefferson (NYC)

  6. Sep 11

    The Super Connectors 62 with Sharon Schanzer (NYC)

    “If you’re a giver, then you gain.” That pretty much sums up Sharon Schanzer, a prolific serial connector, entrepreneur, creative strategist and friction-free problem solver. In the latest episode of The Super Connectors podcast, we talked about what happens when helping people is genuinely your default setting. Sharon has spent 25+ years building her businesses almost entirely through relationships and referrals. She meets far more people than she actually refers, because trust matters. She believes follow-up is everything. One meeting means very little if you disappear afterwards. And when it comes to monetizing introductions, she was very candid: “If I was to say one thing I could do better, it would probably be to directly monetize some of the connections I have.” Because yes, helping people is great. But giving everything away for free does not pay the rent 😂 And there’s a very fun ending to this story… Sharon won our introstars competition and earned a free flight between NYC and London with her introstars points. That is a pretty good real-life example of “givers gain.” Listen to the full episode here, and if you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 62 with Sharon Schanzer (NYC)

  7. Sep 7

    The Super Connectors 61 with Clara Fletcher (NYC)

    “It’s so easy to build an app or a website now. The hard part is finding the first customer.” That was one of my fave points from Clara Fletcher in the latest episode of The Super Connectors podcast. Clara is building CareerStar, connecting students, universities and employers, but what I really liked was how practical she is about networking. Don’t just say, “I know someone you should meet.” Be specific. Why should they meet? What can that person actually help with? What gets them to the next step? She also admitted that when she really wants to meet someone at an event, she can be “ruthless” - she’ll check Luma, find out if they’re attending, look them up on LinkedIn, then go straight over and introduce herself. I respect that. We also talked about something a lot of people struggle with: advocating for your own value. Clara spent 11 years negotiating other people’s rates, but said pricing her own time and product felt completely different. I'm sure we can relate to that. Really fun conversation about internships, networking, first customers, getting young people off their phones, and helping the next generation become better connectors. Listen to the full episode here. And if you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 61 with Clara Fletcher (NYC)

  8. Aug 24

    The Super Connectors 60 with Nelson Zuluaga (NYC)

    ✨“Put it out in the universe and continue about your day" ✨ That pretty much sums up Nelson Zuluaga's approach to networking. In the latest episode of The Super Connectors podcast, we talked about how he ended up connecting the worlds of tech, film, AI and investment without some grand masterplan. A lot of it came from simply going out, talking to people, staying curious and asking: “How can I help you?” He calls himself a “hybrid nerd” because he genuinely loves both the tech AND the sales side. He’s had opportunities come from bars, dinners, film festivals and random introductions. He sometimes earns a 2% finder’s fee when he helps bring funding into a project. And his tracking system? Spreadsheets, his phone… and occasionally napkins 😂 The big theme was serendipity. You don’t always know where the right person will come from. You just have to keep showing up. Really fun conversation about tech, movies, referrals, mentoring and the weird places great connections can start. Listen to the full episode. And if you’d like to meet other super connectors, or become one yourself, join our community for free at introstars.com

    The Super Connectors 60 with Nelson Zuluaga (NYC)
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About

The show where super connectors share their journey, purpose and strategies to make great business connections, inspiring the next generation of introducers & connectors.

Information

  • Creator
    introstars
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © introstars
  • Show Website
    The Super Connectors