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Why Governments Don’t Get Startups

Steve Blank

When I read policy papers by government organizations trying to replicate the lessons from the valley, I’m struck how they seem to miss some basic lessons. Regions building a cluster around scalable startups fail to understand that a government agency simply giving money to entrepreneurs who want it is an exercise in failure.

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Why The SBIC Doesn’t Work For Venture Capital Anymore

Feld Thoughts

I woke up to an article in Daily Camera today titled Small Business Administration trying to bring SBIC funds to Colorado. I’m an investor in over 40 VC funds around the world (mostly in the US) and three of them are SBIC funds. Each of the SBIC funds were raised in the 2000 – 2002 time period.

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The Secret History of Silicon Valley 12: The Rise of “Risk Capital.

Steve Blank

Meanwhile on the West Coast – “The Group” 1950’s When Ampex was raising its money, in 1952, an employee of Fireman’s Fund in San Francisco, Reid Dennis , managed to put $20,000 in the deal. to spur innovation was a new government agency to fund new companies. government would invest three (up to $300,000.)