Be Champagne, Not Flat Soda

Be Champagne, Not Flat Soda

From Best Manager Ever by Annie Riley

April 22, 2026 · 37 min · Season 4 · Episode 6

About this episode

Annie Riley interviews Whitnie Narcisse about building a strong network and the FACE framework for memorable connections.

Building a strong network is a skill. Annie Riley sits down with Whitnie Narcisse, former First Round Capital Partner, to unpack how she has built one of the best networks in Silicon Valley. Whitnie breaks down how to be memorable and build connections that last using her FACE framework (Factual, Authentic, Credible, and Engaging). Plus: why most networking advice falls flat, how to design rooms people want to be in, and the biggest networking mistake most people make.  Time Stamps: 00:00 – Whitnie's 3 biggest career inflection points 05:50 - How Whitnie got to First Round 06:50 – Agency in networking 09:30 – What actually gets a response 11:30 – Async networking and respecting people’s time 13:30 – Why most networking formats don’t work  15:30 – Building a high-value community and ecosystem 18:30 – The secret to great events 21:00 – How to create meaningful connections  23:30 – The FACE framework: how to be memorable  29:00 – The follow-up gap: why networking really starts after the handshake 31:00 – Generosity, authenticity, and playing the long game Join us on Substack  Level up your leadership skills with Fort Light  Connect with Annie Riley…

People in this episode

Host: Annie Riley

Guest: Whitnie Narcisse

Topics covered

  • networking
  • Silicon Valley
  • career development
  • FACE framework
  • community building
  • event design

Keywords

  • networking
  • Silicon Valley
  • FACE framework
  • career inflection points
  • community building
  • event design
  • authenticity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: First Round Capital

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