SELF-APPOINTED. STILL WORKING ON IT.

The BestNetworkerin the World.^*

A very ambitious name.
A very simple idea: get to know good people.

Share something interesting Or borrow my networking notes ↓

Hey, I’m Sydney.

Somewhat shy.
Very curious.

I didn’t grow up with much of a network. I’m not the guy who walks into a room and instantly becomes everybody’s best friend. I had to learn this. Now I want to become the best networker in the world, one real relationship at a time.

Here’s why I’m doing this

* A little for fun. A little publicity stunt. A self-fulfilling prophecy, hopefully.THE MORE INTERESTING PEOPLE, THE BETTER.

10,000+cold emails sent in my lifetime

2,500+people in my personal CRM

500+introductions made

Conservative, self-reported figures · September 2026

TESTIMONIAL

Lucas Garvin and Sydney Liu together in tuxedos at Sydney’s wedding — Lucas and me at my wedding.

FROM A COLD DM TO A GROOMSMAN

“Sydney is the best networker I’ve ever met.
He sent me a cold DM on Facebook because we were in the same note-taking group and lived near each other. We got coffee, became close friends, and years later I was a groomsman at his wedding.
I’ve been to several of his gatherings with entrepreneurs and other interesting people, and I’ve seen the personal CRM and systems he uses to keep up with people. The amount of thought and effort he puts into all of it honestly blows me away. He makes room for these random connections to turn into something real, then puts in the work to keep the relationship going. Our friendship is a pretty good example. I’m really glad he sent that message.”

Lucas GarvinCo-founder and Co-CEO, Thought Leaders Institute

A few of the people behind the numbers.

A group of attendees gathered outdoors during GDC — GDC, Yerba Buena Gardens. I hosted a gathering here two years in a row, with 60+ people each time. How that came together ↗

Guests with name tags gathered in a living room, with a dog in the foreground — Name tags, icebreakers, and a room full of interesting people.You can host something too ↗

01 / LEARNING TO OPEN MY OWN DOORS

I had to learn
how to do this.

I used to see someone I knew on the street, turn the other way, and pretend I hadn’t seen them. That’s how shy I was.

In high school, I watched other kids get opportunities through their parents. My parents opened some doors for me too, just not in the areas I was most interested in. I thought that was unfair. Then I realized I could spend that energy meeting people myself.

I don’t think of myself as successful yet. I don’t have some crazy win that makes everyone want to know me. What I do have is years of reaching out, asking questions, making introductions, and keeping in touch.

That’s why I think I have something useful to share. I built a network while being somewhat shy, and it’s still growing. I hope to be the most well-connected person in the world one day. In the meantime, I can show you what I’m learning.

More about me & the idea ↗

THE AMBITION BEHIND THE NAME

What I mean by
the best networker in the world.

I want to have fun, meet great people, do fun things with them, and connect them with each other. A mentor helped me see that I don’t have to be the expert on every problem. Sometimes I can introduce someone to the person who is. I want to make a lot more of that happen.

Be curious enough to start.

I follow my curiosities. Sometimes that means a cold email. Sometimes it means asking a stranger where they’re from. You don’t need to be magnetic to ask a real question.

Starting the conversation ↗

Pay attention to how you can help.

An idea, a useful introduction, a shared interest. I love noticing when two people might get along, then asking whether they’d like to meet.

Making a useful introduction ↗

Keep the conversation going.

Staying in touch is a daily habit I enjoy. My CRM helps me remember the context. The relationship grows through the conversations we actually have.

Keeping in touch ↗

02 / WHERE THE CONNECTIONS HAVE LED

People make things
possible.

Building companies and communities has given me plenty of reasons to reach out. Some of them turned into things I never would have predicted.

BUILDING COMPANIES

Over $2 million raised.

Across Commaful and CharacterHub, we raised over $2 million. I credit that fundraising to the relationships we built. One of our most prominent investor introductions came from someone who first became a friend.

How that connection happened ↓

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

Dozens of events.

I’ve hosted dozens of events. My broader network includes founders, company executives, professional athletes, and even professional magicians. I love people who care deeply about something.

At GDC, I hosted a casual gathering in Yerba Buena Gardens two years in a row. More than 60 people came each time. Sometimes you can make the room you want to be in.

How I bring people together ↗

There were also weeks with 12 meetings a day, five days straight. A peak period, definitely. The interesting part was what happened after we talked.

CHARACTERHUB × SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

A fan-art contest.
A Keanu-signed Shadow poster.

Through CharacterHub, I’ve struck fan-art contest partnerships involving Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers, and SpongeBob. Some pretty amazing prizes came with them.

CharacterHub’s public announcement of its official Sonic the Hedgehog 3 fan-art contest

One of the campaigns our team brought to life.See the collaborations ↗

A few things I’ve helped build. The campaign above was a CharacterHub team effort. Background & sources ↗

03 / HOW A STRANGER BECOMES SOMEONE IMPORTANT

You can start the conversation.
You can’t plan the ending.

These are three of mine. Each started with a different kind of curiosity. None started with knowing where it would lead.

AN INVITATION THAT WAS WORTH SAYING YES TO

The interview became a friendship.

I cold emailed a top tech executive for a blog I was writing. We had great guests and an audience, which helped make the invitation interesting. He became a good friend and has shared wisdom and guidance throughout my career.

Give someone a real reason to talk, then notice whether you both want to keep talking.

Write the first email ↗

MONTHS OF CONVERSATION, THEN SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

A friendship opened a door I couldn’t have planned.

Clubhouse
A DM
Months of friendship
An investor intro

A random Clubhouse talk led to a Twitter follower whose profile looked interesting. I sent him a DM. We hung out and texted about startups, companies, and random ideas for a few months. When we were fundraising, I asked whether he knew anyone we should talk to. He introduced us to an investor who became incredible for the company.

The friendship came first. Stay interested in the person, even when there’s no obvious next step.

Keep the conversation going ↗

A REMINDER THAT FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE INCOMPLETE

I thought the call would be boring.

I had skimmed his LinkedIn and assumed we wouldn’t have much to talk about. I was very wrong. One idea stayed with me: I could help far more people by connecting them with someone who could actually solve their problem. That became a principle behind how I build my network.

Leave some room to be surprised. You don’t always know who’s on the other side.

Start with curiosity ↗

Firsthand stories. Names kept private.

04 / THE NETWORKING FIELD GUIDE

Okay, so how do
you actually do it?

Start with whatever feels hardest right now. Each guide walks through real decisions, complete examples, and what to do when things get awkward.

01 / OUTREACH

I want to reach someone.

How to write a cold email worth answering

A first email, a rewrite, and what to do after a reply.

READ THE GUIDE · 14 min read

02 / INTRODUCTIONS

I know two people who should meet.

How to make an introduction that actually helps

Both private asks, the shared thread, and the graceful no.

READ THE GUIDE · 13 min read

03 / RELATIONSHIPS

I keep meaning to stay in touch.

How to use a personal CRM to keep in touch

A useful contact record and a daily review you can keep up.

READ THE GUIDE · 15 min read

04 / CONVERSATION

I don’t know what to say.

How to talk to strangers when you’re a little shy

Openers, follow-up questions, and a comfortable way to leave.

READ THE GUIDE · 16 min read

05 / NETWORKING

I want to bring people together.

How to host a networking event when you’re shy

A first gathering, an easy opening, and lessons from my GDC meetups.

READ THE GUIDE · 12 min read

06 / AI & RELATIONSHIPS

I want my CRM to be easier to maintain.

How to build an auto-updating personal CRM with AI

Build the structure, let AI organize notes, and add thoughtful automations.

READ THE GUIDE · 24 min read

Browse the networking field guide ↗

A FEW THINGS YOU CAN LOOK UP

This goes back
a little while.

I was talking about reaching out and learning from people long before I made this very modestly named site.

EXTERNAL COVERAGE · ENTREPRENEURSHIPON FINDING HELP THROUGH THE USC ALUMNI NETWORK

“A well thought out email explaining I was a current student was often enough to get some extremely helpful advice”

Sydney Liu, quoted in Alison Coleman’s Forbes article on college entrepreneurship and building Commaful.

Read the Forbes article ↗EXTERNAL COVERAGE · NETWORKING ADVICEON LOOKING BEYOND FORMAL NETWORKING EVENTS

A good connection can happen outside the room everyone calls a networking event.

Hannah Meinke included my perspective on finding people through interests and communities.

Read the networking article ↗

ABOUT THE VERY MODEST NAME

A fair question
or two.

Who is the best networker in the world?

I’m Sydney Liu, the person behind this site. “The Best Networker in the World” is a self-appointed title and a goal I’m working toward. I’m not presenting an independently judged ranking. I’m sharing how I’ve built relationships and inviting you to help me see how far this can go.

What makes you qualified to write about networking?

I had to learn it while being somewhat shy and starting with a small network. I’ve sent 10,000+ cold emails, kept a personal CRM with 2,500+ people, and made 500+ introductions. Those are conservative, self-reported figures. The guides explain the decisions behind the numbers, including when to stop following up or decline an introduction.

Read the networking field guide ↗

How can I become a better networker if I’m starting from scratch?

Pick something you’re curious about and get to know people who care about it too. I started by learning from people, asking questions, and helping where I could. A thoughtful message or a conversation with one person is a good place to start. Then stay in touch when you have something real to talk about.

Start a conversation when you’re shy ↗

Is this serious, or is it a publicity stunt?

Both! The name is for fun, and I’d love for it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The curiosity, friendships, and desire to help people are serious. If this page gives us a reason to know each other, it’s already doing something useful.

Can I reach out even if I’m just getting started?

Please do! I’m still figuring plenty of this out myself. Tell me something interesting about yourself: what you’re building, learning, wondering about, or doing for fun. We can start there.

Share something interesting ↗

The BestNetworkerin the World.*

I had to learnhow to do this.

What I mean bythe best networker in the world.