商业中间人的力量

    几乎在每个社会里，我们都可以看到形形色色的中间人。在中国、印度和犹太文化中，这个角色的形成已有上千年的历史。在历史上不同时期，杰出的中间人曾占据显赫地位，这也不无道理。无论是寻找伴侣，还是其他，中间人的存在都可以显著加快结识过程，降低寻找成本，帮助人们找到凭一己之力难以企及的、更好的匹配。

    我们谈起如何鼓励多人之间的互动时，不妨先谈谈集中化体系和松散化体系之间的差异。两个体系都需要一个组织者，让互动成为可能。但在集中化体系中（比如由中间人管理的体系），组织者积极管理互动，按特定目的将参与者互相联系起来。而在松散化体系中，参与者们可以自行安排。本地酒吧就是松散化体系的一个典型例子：酒吧店主提供桌椅和烈酒，顾客们自得其乐。

    任何一个行业，优秀的中间人都必须对所有潜在方有可靠的认知，在撮合过程中能公平代表双方，不偏不倚。我们研究了各种商业生态系统之后发现，中间人已经变得越来越重要，特别是在茫茫人海之中帮忙牵线搭桥，帮人才找到工作，帮买方找到卖方，帮租客找到房东，等等。

    考虑到初创企业投资市场的不断扩容，要实现企业家和投资者的完美匹配，需要的不只是一宗金融交易。除了资本，企业家们需要专业技能、行业人脉以及投资者的支持（支持他们与其他方面更广泛的联系）。随着投资交易市场的竞争越来越激烈，新兴初创企业和潜在投资者数量极大增长，要碰对人变得越发困难。要想从成千上百的潜在投资中筛选出合适的投资交易，一起喝杯咖啡，顺便引荐，这种传统方式已经不现实。

    众筹领域有几个平台，最著名的是Kickstarter和Indiegogo。AngelList是这类平台的另一个例子。应对上述问题，AngelList的模式是除了建立一个融资平台，同时也作为企业家和投资者的一个中间人。与相亲网站的差别不大，企业家和投资者们输入自我简介；企业家可以选择哪些投资者能查看他们的简介，投资者的消息推送每天可收到10-20家初创企业列表。AngelList还提供已投资这些初创企业的个人和机构名称。有些人相信这种“社交认证”是反映一家初创企业生存能力的一个有力指标，另一些人则认为这种模式能促进群体认知。

    由于中间人的角色性质，中间人可以接触到与他们有联系的很多人的大量数据。AngelList这样的公司能作为一个数据源，帮助投资者和企业家判断初创界的大势所趋。通过跟踪初创企业从创立到退出的整个过程，这些公司有望将自身角色从单纯介绍认识，提升到支持长期的业务关系。

     You can find matchmakers in many different forms in just about every society. Chinese, Hindu, and Jewish cultures have institutionalized the role for several millennia. At different points in time, talented matchmakers have held positions of status, and with good reason. By connecting people for romantic or other reasons, an intermediary can dramatically expedite the connection process, decrease search costs, and help individuals find better matches than they could on their own.

    When we talk about encouraging interactions between many people, it's helpful to discuss the differences between centralized and decentralized ecosystems. Both require an organizer to make interaction possible, but in centralized ecosystems, such as those run by a matchmaker, the organizer actively manages interactions and connects participants for specific purposes. In decentralized ecosystems, participants are left to govern themselves. Your local bar is a good example of a decentralized ecosystem: The owner provides tables, chairs and alcohol, but the patrons fend for themselves.

    Being a skilled matchmaker in any industry requires a solid understanding of all potential parties, as well as the ability to equally represent both sides to a connection without bias. As we've studied various business ecosystems, it's become evident that matchmakers have become increasingly important when it comes to connecting millions of people looking to pair talent with jobs, buyers with vendors, tenants with landlords, etc.

    Consider the growing startup investment market, where a good fit for both entrepreneurs and investors requires much more than just a financial transaction. In addition to capital, entrepreneurs need expertise, industry connections, and support from their investors to connect to others. And in an increasingly competitive deal market, the growing number of both new start-ups and potential investors makes meeting the right person increasingly difficult, and the traditional let's-grab-a-cup-of-coffee introduction an impractical way to sort through hundreds of possible investments.

    There are several platforms in the crowd funding space, most notably Kickstarter and Indiegogo. AngelList is another example of such a platform. However, AngelList's model tackles the problem by not only creating a funding platform, but also by acting as matchmaker for entrepreneurs and investors. Not dissimilar from an online dating site, entrepreneurs and investors create profiles; entrepreneurs can choose which investors can see their profiles, and investors receive a curated list of 10-20 start ups each day on their feed. AngelList provides the names of individuals and institutions that have already invested in these companies. While some see this 'social proof' as a strong indicator of the startup's viability, others think this model promotes groupthink.

    By the nature of their role, matchmakers have access to a large amount of data on the people they connect. Companies like AngelList could be used as a data source for predicting the direction of the startup world, for both investors and entrepreneurs. By tracking the progress of ventures from inception to exit, such companies have the opportunity to expand their role from simply making introductions to supporting long term business relationships.