????幾乎在每個社會里，我們都可以看到形形色色的中間人。在中國、印度和猶太文化中，這個角色的形成已有上千年的歷史。在歷史上不同時期，杰出的中間人曾占據(jù)顯赫地位，這也不無道理。無論是尋找伴侶，還是其他，中間人的存在都可以顯著加快結(jié)識過程，降低尋找成本，幫助人們找到憑一己之力難以企及的、更好的匹配。

????我們談起如何鼓勵多人之間的互動時，不妨先談?wù)劶谢w系和松散化體系之間的差異。兩個體系都需要一個組織者，讓互動成為可能。但在集中化體系中（比如由中間人管理的體系），組織者積極管理互動，按特定目的將參與者互相聯(lián)系起來。而在松散化體系中，參與者們可以自行安排。本地酒吧就是松散化體系的一個典型例子：酒吧店主提供桌椅和烈酒，顧客們自得其樂。

????任何一個行業(yè)，優(yōu)秀的中間人都必須對所有潛在方有可靠的認知，在撮合過程中能公平代表雙方，不偏不倚。我們研究了各種商業(yè)生態(tài)系統(tǒng)之后發(fā)現(xiàn)，中間人已經(jīng)變得越來越重要，特別是在茫茫人海之中幫忙牽線搭橋，幫人才找到工作，幫買方找到賣方，幫租客找到房東，等等。

????考慮到初創(chuàng)企業(yè)投資市場的不斷擴容，要實現(xiàn)企業(yè)家和投資者的完美匹配，需要的不只是一宗金融交易。除了資本，企業(yè)家們需要專業(yè)技能、行業(yè)人脈以及投資者的支持（支持他們與其他方面更廣泛的聯(lián)系）。隨著投資交易市場的競爭越來越激烈，新興初創(chuàng)企業(yè)和潛在投資者數(shù)量極大增長，要碰對人變得越發(fā)困難。要想從成千上百的潛在投資中篩選出合適的投資交易，一起喝杯咖啡，順便引薦，這種傳統(tǒng)方式已經(jīng)不現(xiàn)實。

????眾籌領(lǐng)域有幾個平臺，最著名的是Kickstarter和Indiegogo。AngelList是這類平臺的另一個例子。應(yīng)對上述問題，AngelList的模式是除了建立一個融資平臺，同時也作為企業(yè)家和投資者的一個中間人。與相親網(wǎng)站的差別不大，企業(yè)家和投資者們輸入自我簡介；企業(yè)家可以選擇哪些投資者能查看他們的簡介，投資者的消息推送每天可收到10-20家初創(chuàng)企業(yè)列表。AngelList還提供已投資這些初創(chuàng)企業(yè)的個人和機構(gòu)名稱。有些人相信這種“社交認證”是反映一家初創(chuàng)企業(yè)生存能力的一個有力指標，另一些人則認為這種模式能促進群體認知。

????由于中間人的角色性質(zhì)，中間人可以接觸到與他們有聯(lián)系的很多人的大量數(shù)據(jù)。AngelList這樣的公司能作為一個數(shù)據(jù)源，幫助投資者和企業(yè)家判斷初創(chuàng)界的大勢所趨。通過跟蹤初創(chuàng)企業(yè)從創(chuàng)立到退出的整個過程，這些公司有望將自身角色從單純介紹認識，提升到支持長期的業(yè)務(wù)關(guān)系。

?????You can find matchmakers in many different forms in just about every society. Chinese, Hindu, and Jewish cultures have institutionalized the role for several millennia. At different points in time, talented matchmakers have held positions of status, and with good reason. By connecting people for romantic or other reasons, an intermediary can dramatically expedite the connection process, decrease search costs, and help individuals find better matches than they could on their own.

????When we talk about encouraging interactions between many people, it's helpful to discuss the differences between centralized and decentralized ecosystems. Both require an organizer to make interaction possible, but in centralized ecosystems, such as those run by a matchmaker, the organizer actively manages interactions and connects participants for specific purposes. In decentralized ecosystems, participants are left to govern themselves. Your local bar is a good example of a decentralized ecosystem: The owner provides tables, chairs and alcohol, but the patrons fend for themselves.

????Being a skilled matchmaker in any industry requires a solid understanding of all potential parties, as well as the ability to equally represent both sides to a connection without bias. As we've studied various business ecosystems, it's become evident that matchmakers have become increasingly important when it comes to connecting millions of people looking to pair talent with jobs, buyers with vendors, tenants with landlords, etc.

????Consider the growing startup investment market, where a good fit for both entrepreneurs and investors requires much more than just a financial transaction. In addition to capital, entrepreneurs need expertise, industry connections, and support from their investors to connect to others. And in an increasingly competitive deal market, the growing number of both new start-ups and potential investors makes meeting the right person increasingly difficult, and the traditional let's-grab-a-cup-of-coffee introduction an impractical way to sort through hundreds of possible investments.

????There are several platforms in the crowd funding space, most notably Kickstarter and Indiegogo. AngelList is another example of such a platform. However, AngelList's model tackles the problem by not only creating a funding platform, but also by acting as matchmaker for entrepreneurs and investors. Not dissimilar from an online dating site, entrepreneurs and investors create profiles; entrepreneurs can choose which investors can see their profiles, and investors receive a curated list of 10-20 start ups each day on their feed. AngelList provides the names of individuals and institutions that have already invested in these companies. While some see this 'social proof' as a strong indicator of the startup's viability, others think this model promotes groupthink.

????By the nature of their role, matchmakers have access to a large amount of data on the people they connect. Companies like AngelList could be used as a data source for predicting the direction of the startup world, for both investors and entrepreneurs. By tracking the progress of ventures from inception to exit, such companies have the opportunity to expand their role from simply making introductions to supporting long term business relationships.