I want a shirt that says “I ♥️ networking.” Because I genuinely believe every woman who wants to advance her career should love it too. Women receive just 2% of VC funding. We’re less likely to be promoted. More likely to be seen as junior. And tech layoffs? Those disproportionately affect women too. But here’s what we do control: who we reach out to. Last week samairabanga bangerblogs DMed me on LinkedIn. She’s 19, a student at tuftsuniversity, and the Regional Lead for girlsintovc. In under 75 words, she introduced herself, explained her mission, and asked if we could meet while she was in SF. We grabbed coffee at goldengoatcoffee, wandered to South Park, and talked way longer than I’d planned. That’s the power of a cold DM done right. For women, community is your leverage. Cold outreach expands your network, opens doors, and creates real equity. As tdufu of the toryburchfoundation says: “The best resource we have is each other.” So if you’ve been hesitating to se...