Dhruv Patel, the CED’s Director of Investor Relations, is a very busy man these days as he plays matchmaker between emerging startups and investors from around the country. And he finds the role “extremely satisfying.”

In part one of a two-part Q&A, Patel talked with WTW about the launch of “Connections to Capital,” which began a year ago and has helped CED members raise $55 million in capital.

In part two, he talks more about his role, the challenges – and the benefits.

  • How much of your time is devoted to this project?

Since July 1, 2015, I have been dedicated full time to founding and running “Connections to Capital.” We started the program with 30 investor relationships and have grown that number to 250+. I average about 7 introductions between companies and investors each week.

  • Please sum up how the matchmaking process works.

Our systematic engagement strategy serves a two-sided marketplace: investors and entrepreneurs. Through our established investor relationships, I maintain frequent contact to understand the investor thesis and company criteria. We also continuously track data on 1,800 North Carolina companies for key milestones including hires, partnerships, fundraising events, and more.

Through year-round engagement with investors, I am able to leverage our data with our team’s institutional knowledge to make curated company recommendations catered to the investor’s objectives. I then proactively make warm introductions between the investor and those companies.

  • What have been the biggest obstacles to date in the program? Have you met expectations?

One obstacle is our ability to scale the program. I am the only staff member solely dedicated to “Connections to Capital.” Further, our goal is to serve as a trusted source of information for investors, but we can only be successful if we have the data. North Carolina companies are hitting major milestones every day, and our team tracks the data through various channels. But if a company doesn’t tell us about their accomplishments or announce publicly, then we are only as good as the data that we have.

In regard to expectations, we knew when we started Connections to Capital that funding deals don’t happen overnight, and often take a year or more of conversations between the investor and entrepreneur. We are thrilled to have created relationships between investors and entrepreneurs that have resulted in over $55 million in funding over a short period of time, and as a direct result of CED’s efforts.

  • I suspect you draw some personal satisfaction from playing matchmaker. How do successful deals make you feel?

It’s great to see positive results from something that you are working at so diligently. But more significantly, it’s incredibly satisfying knowing that these deals are benefiting the entrepreneurial community in North Carolina. Most of these investors haven’t done many deals in the state and this program is expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs in a very real way.