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Professional networking is more fragmented than ever. Young professionals are told that relationships matter, yet most platforms still leave them cold messaging strangers, collecting weak ties, and hoping something turns into opportunity. But can a platform built to make networking more intentional convince investors it belongs at the center of career growth?
In this episode of Capital Calling, Celia Davis, Founder of ConnNext, pitches a professional relationship platform built for young professionals looking to form more meaningful connections. ConnNext is designed to help users build real professional communities through a matching system focused on career growth, support, and relationship quality rather than passive social feeds or transactional outreach. The company’s core thesis is that networking should feel more human, more relevant, and more useful than sending hundreds of cold messages or endlessly applying to jobs online. (make-connexions.com (https://www.make-connexions.com/faq?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
ConnNext positions itself as a new layer in the professional networking ecosystem, aimed at Gen Z and millennials across industries who want to meet the right people digitally and in person. The platform is built around the idea that strong professional relationships can be matched, nurtured, and maintained more effectively through a purpose-built product focused on community, career development, and trust. Celia has described the company as a response to the uncertainty of the current job market and the need for a better way to network. (make-connexions.com (https://www.make-connexions.com/faq?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
Across the table, investors Jennifer Wolf, Former Managing Partner at Initialized Capital, Jeremy Kagan of Textbook Ventures, and Antonio Calderon of Distributed Ventures engage with the pitch as it unfolds. They assess professional networking behavior among younger users, the challenge of building trust and engagement in a relationship platform, the product’s differentiation from LinkedIn and other social networks, and whether ConnNext can scale into foundational infrastructure for meaningful professional connection. (LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-connexions?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
Capital Calling provides a behind-the-scenes look at a real pitch from both sides of the table. Each episode begins with a live founder pitch and product demo, followed by direct investor questioning. After the pitch, investors enter into a private debrief conversation where they debate the opportunity openly: without the founder present. The founder, on the other hand, enters the On-Call Room to discuss the pitch one-on-one from their perspective. Then, the investors give their verdicts, where feedback is delivered candidly and decisions are made.
Produced by Coeus Collective in partnership with the NYU Stern Berkeley Center for Entrepreneurship, Capital Calling offers founders, operators, students, and investors an unfiltered look at how early-stage investment decisions actually happen, and what separates compelling ideas from fundable companies.
Founders pitch live. Investors decide.
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Special thanks to the NYU Stern School of Business Berkeley Center for Entrepreneurship. Follow @nyuinnovation for updates on their programs.
Hosted by Antonio Di Meglio and Leon Li
DISCLAIMER: The Capital Calling podcast, and any related media properties produced by Coeus Collective, are provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Nothing presented in this episode should be construed as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, investments, or financial products. Coeus Collective does not provide investment advice, and all opinions expressed are those of the hosts or guests at the time of recording.
