Few know the potential of collaboration and relationship building better than Julie Meyer. First Tuesday -- the network she and three friends founded to bring potential investors and entrepreneurs together -- has grown into a global matchmaking force that has helped raise an estimated £65 million of startup capital worldwide. It also won Meyer the title "Supporter of Entrepreneurship of the Year" in the UK.

First Tuesday's membership base has reached 60,000 worldwide and is still growing at a rate of 20% a month. In July, First Tuesday was sold to Yazam, the Israeli investment company, for £33.5 million. Meyer remains at the helm.

"I used to get reprimanded by investment bankers for sharing my contacts. But for me, it's like solving a puzzle," she says. "There's a real role for this kind of generosity of spirit. You give in order to get. And there's something about the new economy that feels fundamentally right."

Meyer grew up in the United States, but came to Europe at 21 to study at the Sorbonne, in Paris. Her career has included consulting for the likes of Hewlett-Packard, 3Com, and Motorola.

"The new economy has introduced so much more mobility to Europe, and it is teaching us how to take more responsibility for our careers," she says. "The key skills in the next phase of the new economy will be knowing how to build relationships. Even the shrewdest deal maker may not be a good relationship builder -- you must be in sales mode without letting people know you're in sales mode."