My friend Chris invited me to a talk this morning at the Cornell Club in Manhattan entitled, “Engaging the media in a brave new world.”
The talk featured Sharon Tolpin, Senior Vice President, Articulate Communications, and Erick Schonfeld, Co-Editor of TechCrunch.com.
The talk was mediocre but what struck me was what happened at the panel’s conclusion: the moderator asked all attendees to write on the back of a business card two types of people they wanted an introduction to.
The Cornell Club then promised to connect everyone to someone matching the description within a week.
Based on the people I met, there were definitely some interesting folks, including many startup founders, a hedge fund manager, PR professionals and at least on angel investor.
An Ivy League schools is a powerful network and it worth remembering how that the real credential is not the degree, but the access.