Moving Virginia forward to continued success in a global economy should not include losing sight of important local and statewide connections. That’s what Senator Warner, a co-founder of Nextel and former venture capital investor, told more than 300 young people attending the second annual Virginia Young Professionals Summit in Richmond on Saturday. 

"Sometimes when we think only globally we lose the connectivity that brings us together in our communities and all across Virginia,” Sen. Warner said. “And today more so than ever before, who you know is more important than what you know.”

Sen. Warner also emphasized that investing in people as critical to business success.

“The best idea in the world isn't worth as much as having great people on board,” he said. “I would always invest in a good management team over a good business plan.”

The former governor also encouraged attendees to work on constantly reinventing themselves.

"Like it or not, in this economy, you're going to have seven or nine careers before you're 50,” Senator Warner said. “It’s important to stay flexible and keep learning.”

David Karp, the 26-year-old founder and CEO of Tumblr, focused on embracing unexpected opportunities in his keynote speech. He advised his audience to learn from people they meet.  “Hang out with people who are where you aspire to be,” he said. 

Karp also emphasized the importance of staying true to yourself. He said that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, had  advised him to stick with his vision when he was facing the challenges of growth and success. 

“He told me not to give up on being clever,” Karp said. “And that was enough to push me to stick it out a little bit longer as a small, lean company. Today, we have 115 people, and we’re one of the top 20 sites in the world.”

Participants attended breakout sessions on topics including funding start-up businesses, networking, and developing and maintaining a brand.  Anne Schlussler, founder of Clarity Staffing, a personnel recruiting agency,  and a moderator for the branding panel, encouraged attendees to focus on actions, not words, during their careers. 

“Successful, talented, do-ers don't just talk about themselves all day,” she said. “There's work to be done.”