Dushime Gashugi attended the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference to seek mentorship and business connections after a personal setback in 2014. From 2015 to 2017, he focused on meeting CEOs to learn about success. The conference allowed informal interactions, enabling him to engage with notable figures like Jeff Bezos and Bob Iger. Gashugi's goal was to build a network of mentors across various business disciplines, emphasizing the importance of connecting with the right people to gain insights and opportunities.
In 2014, my first small business tanked, and my mentor from college died. I just kind of felt lost. I thought, I need to go find people, I need to find the best.
Back then, the security wasn't like it is now. You could literally be on the premises and talk to 20, 25 people in a day.
I met Jeff Bezos that way. I stopped him to introduce myself; he shook my hand and said, 'Hey, I'd love to chat, but I have to run to a meeting.'
Those first three years I went, it was about building my Rolodex and finding mentors in different areas. I wanted to find the best people in the world at building teams, raising money, scaling.
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