The Launch of SOAR Connect:  Building Relationships at the Speed of Trust

On successfully raising 99.2% of my pre-Seed round of SOAR Connect:

To date I have raised $1,050,000 over two rounds.  Totalling 29 investors from the US (Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Texas, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and New York), Canada, UK/Ireland, Greece, and France.

My previous round had an average of 5.5 years from meeting to investor.

My current round had an average of 2 years.

Stemming from the work in my USA-Today Best-Selling Book with Noah Askin, I can attest that the time it takes from meeting to TRUST can be shortened, so we can only imagine what can happen when you have a System that augments that Trust.

Everyone tells me you need the 1,000 superfans to make technology work.  Since I started building the Orchestrated Connecting Community has grown from 1700 to 2500.

What did it take to get here?

On June 18, 2024 I announced the successful raise for my start-up, which had been at that time 7 years in ideation, whiteboarding, and navigating to find a successful path forward.

Then I met Brendan Morrissey who came into my life after 4 failed attempts at partnerships over 5 years, and made this possible with his leadership, tireless engagement on weekly calls, daily messaging, and his own push to bring in additional capital. Alex Cuppage, who took the time to talk to me at a conference in the Bahamas after being dissed by some dude I thought I knew, introduced me to Brendan.

Why is this necessary to build?

As my new friend Marcos Polanco put it..”How much richer would my life be if I had a superconnector like David Homan in my pocket every day?”  And his dear friend, Ramphis Castro (one of my two founding advisors), has been asking that question since we met years ago through Eric Stephenson and believes it is the strength of my insane network that will separate this technology from the rest, alongside that I believe every ask is valid and deserves impact.

We began the way we built, by asking questions that were “outside the box” to get data to work for us:

• What are the necessary bits of data (numbers, patterns, volume, etc) to truly show how we TRUST someone with our time?

• How we can we build it securely so everyone is comfortable knowing their DATA is JUST FOR THEM?

• How do we get people to ASK comfortably and see more and more success from their network?

• How can we encourage positive, opt-in, nurturing behavior in use, to increase one's reputational value while also getting the ASKS you make fulfilled?

• How do we seamlessly work between an app and our normal methods of communication so we operate based on how we already communicate?

• Why do we need to build a SYSTEM to work for us, and how do we make a tech as simple as “ASK and ANSWER” but as complex is the world of our relationships truly is?

• And finally, how do we get rid of all the assholes in our lives?

Honoring the Chain:

I write this as I turn 47 tomorrow.  It is so important to honor the chain of connections and recognize when investing in people has a ripple effect that you cannot even fathom.  

I state/lecture/write constantly on the fact it takes 2-5 people and often 3-5 years to achieve true success from building a purposeful community in connection.  

People who think they can come to my private events and meet the right person the first time are wrong…and then don’t come back.  I don’t know a single network (and there are many awesome ones) where the ROI is instant.  

Actually–beware of something instant.  It’s often wrong.  In food it’s overloaded with salt and butter, in connection it seems perfect and then turns too syrupy or sour.

Take Away #1 (same as last time): It’s true that you reap the most benefits from where you invest the most time. 

The networks/catalysts for my connections were: 

Orchestrated – The impact community I established was the primary catalyst because everyone I met or was introduced to me to invest all came through this global network I’ve been fortunate enough to build over the past 10 years.  Members like Anoop Kansupada led to a new valued investor alongside my dear friend and lawyer Sasha Bau, whose connection from years ago anchored this round (and I am super grateful)

Marcia Nelson–  One of the two original members of Orchestrated Connecting, and one of my most longstanding friends in NYC.  Marcia’s network, and one of her conferences in Montauk is responsible for a chain of connections for 5 of my investors, also all within two years of meeting them. Marcia is my ROCK-STAR of this Round without evening knowing it until I left her a messaging this morning.

Legacy Alliance/Chris Ryan–Stemming from an intro to Chris via a friend I met at Marcia’s Montauk Conference, 2 of those 5 investors are also deeply credited to one of the most intentional, and purposeful UHNW Membership Groups I’ve ever been graced to be around. 

NEXUS – The friendships I formed here developed into relationships that led to connections with 2 new investors within this impactful community.  9 of my original investors I can trace back to this incredible group.  

Nathalie Molina Niño–The first “connector” to believe in me, and my first hire for my advisory business, Nathalie is a friend, mentor, and because of the chain stemming from her, 2 of my investors supported me (1 new, 1 returning).

Michael Roderick: One of my oldest friends in NYC and a leading expert in connection and networks. His introductions (we met through a friend in AICF 19 years ago) led to multiple investments. 

Milton Speid–I met him at an event on the west side of NYC on a hot day.  We had mutual friends and it was “connection love” at first site.  An old and dear friend, 2 of his intros led to a ripple effect from my attending the Innovate Summit founded by my friend Brian Wallace.

From not knowing someone to success:

1 Degree from me:  5 Investors              3 Degrees:  3 Investors

2 Degrees:  3 Investors                             4 Degrees:  6 Investors

Take Away #2: Building a network of supporters is crucial, and identifying the right mentors and advisors is essential. My advisors are crucial to this: Samantha Katz, Tamara Laine (we were neighbors when we met), Marie Roker-Jones, Nadav Kadar, Brendan Morrissey, Jeff Ivory, Ramphis Castro, Suneet Bhatt.

The Final Take Away #3: Reality Check on Asking for Money

I have had 52 amazing rejections from people this round I respect with how they treated me with kindness and passed. And I have 29 people who believed in me (so far) and go above and beyond to make me feel valued and supported with each milestone we actually achieve.

My stats are crazy compared to others, where the prevailing wisdom is you need to talk to 100 people to get to every 2 investors.  That is 2%.  I averaged 20% success in both rounds.

However….raising money is humiliating and harder today than it was 5 years ago.  People you think you know treat you as if you don’t matter.  They ghost you. They make promises and they don’t keep them.  They act like they are doing you a favor when in reality you are presenting them an opportunity as they constantly also complain about not seeing enough great deal flow.  Whenever someone tells you that you just have to reach the next-milestone, smile and move on.  You will often hear that you need to reach the one after that, and the one after that, until you don’t need their money.

What becomes really clear is that they are around you for opportunity, rather than friendship even though you thought it was more.

Conclusion: After reviewing 27 years of building active relationships, which included 142 introductions to get to 29 investors, it is still evident that your success in a community is determined by:

1. The strength and duration of your relationships.
2. How you nurture and maintain connections with your catalyst connectors.
3. The effort and time you invest in genuine communities and organizations.
4. How curious, vulnerable, and generous you are towards others. 
5. And most importantly, trying to constantly build bridges rather than burn them.

Stay tuned for the full launch of SOAR Connect!  

The other people who helped who deserve recognition for this round not mentioned: Lisa Morris, the Brothers Group, Justin Breen, Soraya Depowski, Olga Laouchez, Sanjeev Rao, Liz Friedland, Preetha Nooyi, and Pedram Shojai.