In London the technology-focused side of a smallish private equity fund is run by a guy we shall call Mike. Mike’s been around a long time. His real name, and the fund he works for, are recognisable but not world-famous. And yet, he has a big advantage.
伦敦一只规模较小的私人股本基金旗下主攻科技行业的部门，其负责人我们权且称之为“迈克”吧。迈克做这一行已经很久了。他的真名以及他所供职的基金，有一定名气但说不上是蜚声全球。不过，迈克有一个很大的优势。
Back in 2001, when the very first iPods hit the shelves, Mike did a smart and generous thing. These devices were only available in the US and even there they were not easy to come by. Mike used his connections to buy a box load and promptly distributed these new toys among all the senior tech bankers and deal brokers in London. People remember things like that. A senior tech banker in Asia complains about the treatment he gets from all the big, global names in private equity – they sometimes cancel meetings at the last minute, yawn or just walk out in the middle of presentations. So when it comes to making initial calls to investors about opportunities, there is one name always near the top of the list.
那是在2001年，当第一批iPod刚刚摆上货架时，迈克做了一件既聪明又慷慨的事。当时这些产品仅在美国有售，而且即使在美国，要想买到也不容易。迈克动用了他的人脉关系，买到了一大盒子iPod，并迅速将这些新奇玩意儿分发给了伦敦所有专攻科技行业的资深银行家以及交易经纪人。像这样的事情会给人们留下深刻印象。一位驻亚洲专攻科技行业的资深银行家，对国际知名大型私人股本基金对待他的态度颇有怨言——这些基金有时会在会议前的最后一刻取消会议，在报告演示的过程中打哈欠、甚至中途离开。因此，每当他准备给投资者打电话介绍新的投资机会时，迈克的名字总是在排在去电名单的前列。