An important point to consider, is that not all networking is equal. A lot of startup founders, for example, tend to like attending "startup events" which are mostly filled with other startup founders, wantrapreneurs, and maybe a few VCs and some angel investors. OK, attending some of those and getting to know the local VCs is important, if you think you'll be raising money at some point. But... if you have to choose between, say, working on your product, and hanging out with a bunch of wantrepreneurs and broke startup founders, I think a strong argument could be made that - in most cases - it's better to be working on your product.<p>But, on the other hand... what about events that are designed to cater to people who happen to fit the demographic profile of your target market? What if you can attend a networking event where you will be meeting people that you intend to sell your product to? Depending on where in your process you are, <i>that</i> could be very valuable. And, truth be told, at times it has to trump writing code and working on the product.<p>I'll argue that in the vast majority of cases, the latter type of event has far more value than the former, with the possible exception of a situation where you are specifically in the middle of trying to raise a round and are pointedly working on meeting investors.<p>In the end though it's all about balance. Networking <i>is</i> important, but you can't just do nothing but network and expect success to just fall in your lap. OTOH, if you spend your entire life in your basement building your product, you're likely to emerge with a product that nobody wants, and with no connections to help you market and sell it.<p>FWIW, I've made a conscious decision to all but stop attending "startup events" since we're not raising at the moment, and my time is limited. Right now, my priorities are A. meeting customers and B. working on the product.