One thing that has worked for us is following them around. I mean literally. Find out what conferences the CEO is speaking at and approach them after they get off the stage. Sounds scary-stalkerish but it works. Even if you just get their card and make a quick connection. I've done this before for FeeFighters and gotten many meetings/partnerships out of it.

The other thing is LinkedIn. A warm introduction counts for a lot. Build your network, you never know who might help.