EPISODE · Mar 4, 2026 · 1H 11M
From Stranger to Insider: Designing Trust that Compounds with Vera Maslova | Episode 3
from The Roundabout Show with Tim Courtney · host Tim Courtney
She moved to San Francisco knowing almost no one.Three years later, she’d raised $9M and built one of the strongest operator networks in the city.In this episode, I sit down with Vera Maslova, a partnership and fundraising specialist who moved to the Bay Area without an existing network and built one deliberately.Since arriving, Vera has:• Raised over $9M• Convened dozens of curated founder dinners and small gatherings• Built trusted relationships with CTOs, investors, and operators• Served on nonprofit boards and developed long-term strategic partnershipsYears before she moved, Vera built a list of more than 300 people she wanted to meet. When she arrived, she started reaching out. Sometimes she followed up for two years. If someone didn’t explicitly say no, she stayed in motion.Her dinners are curated environments: ten to twelve people, cross-disciplinary, high generosity, low performance. She sets the tone intentionally, inviting ease, curiosity, and depth.We explore:• Why most new relationships fade at the second touchpoint• The difference between the market of attention and the market of trust• Follow-up strategy• Why consistency compounds faster than charisma• How curated rooms outperform large ones• What AI can amplify, and what it cannot replaceThis conversation looks at trust: how it’s built, how it compounds, and how it becomes durable advantage in an automated, distracted world.If you build products, teams, or ecosystems, the question isn’t visibility. It’s where you are intentionally designing trust.Chapters02:14 The Importance of Connection10:19 Building Trust and Professional Relationships18:57 The Power of Curated Gatherings21:42 Follow-Up as Strategy25:15 Consistency as Competitive Advantage28:05 Tools for Building Relationships29:23 The Hidden Trust Landscape30:56 Authenticity in Professional Contexts33:54 Cultivating Advocacy Through Relationships36:42 Trust as Compounding Capital39:41 Navigating Distrust in Society43:08 Leading by Example44:33 The Role of Mentorship47:27 The Courage to Ask for Mentorship52:11 Designing Memorable Experiences56:35 When Intelligence Becomes Cheap57:17 The Nature of Intelligence and AI01:00:01 AI as Tool, Not Substitute01:00:48 Listening as Leverage01:04:22 Fundamentals of Human Connection01:07:49 Building Relationships in a Digital AgeLinksBoardy – AI Connection Platform – https://boardy.aiThe Culture Map by Erin Meyer – https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Map-Understanding-Global-Workplace/dp/1625276522How I Built This Podcast by Guy Raz – https://www.npr.org/sections/how-i-built-this/Gustavo Dudamel – Conductor – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavo_DudamelGuest ProfileLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/vera-maslovaMore episodes:http://roundabout.community/show
What this episode covers
She moved to San Francisco knowing almost no one.Three years later, she’d raised $9M and built one of the strongest operator networks in the city.In this episode, I sit down with Vera Maslova, a partnership and fundraising specialist who moved to the Bay Area without an existing network and built one deliberately.Since arriving, Vera has:• Raised over $9M• Convened dozens of curated founder dinners and small gatherings• Built trusted relationships with CTOs, investors, and operators• Served on nonprofit boards and developed long-term strategic partnershipsYears before she moved, Vera built a list of more than 300 people she wanted to meet. When she arrived, she started reaching out. Sometimes she followed up for two years. If someone didn’t explicitly say no, she stayed in motion.Her dinners are curated environments: ten to twelve people, cross-disciplinary, high generosity, low performance. She sets the tone intentionally, inviting ease, curiosity, and depth.We explore:• Why most new relationships fade at the second touchpoint• The difference between the market of attention and the market of trust• Follow-up strategy• Why consistency compounds faster than charisma• How curated rooms outperform large ones• What AI can amplify, and what it cannot replaceThis conversation looks at trust: how it’s built, how it compounds, and how it becomes durable advantage in an automated, distracted world.If you build products, teams, or ecosystems, the question isn’t visibility. It’s where you are intentionally designing trust.Chapters02:14 The Importance of Connection10:19 Building Trust and Professional Relationships18:57 The Power of Curated Gatherings21:42 Follow-Up as Strategy25:15 Consistency as Competitive Advantage28:05 Tools for Building Relationships29:23 The Hidden Trust Landscape30:56 Authenticity in Professional Contexts33:54 Cultivating Advocacy Through Relationships36:42 Trust as Compounding Capital39:41 Navigating Distrust in Society43:08 Leading by Example44:33 The Role of Mentorship47:27 The Courage to Ask for Mentorship52:11 Designing Memorable Experiences56:35 When Intelligence Becomes Cheap57:17 The Nature of Intelligence and AI01:00:01 AI as Tool, Not Substitute01:00:48 Listening as Leverage01:04:22 Fundamentals of Human Connection01:07:49 Building Relationships in a Digital AgeLinksBoardy – AI Connection Platform – https://boardy.aiThe Culture Map by Erin Meyer – https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Map-Understanding-Global-Workplace/dp/1625276522How I Built This Podcast by Guy Raz – https://www.npr.org/sections/how-i-built-this/Gustavo Dudamel – Conductor – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavo_DudamelGuest ProfileLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/vera-maslovaMore episodes:http://roundabout.community/show
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From Stranger to Insider: Designing Trust that Compounds with Vera Maslova | Episode 3
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