Wow! Really? No Way! Wow!….this was my reaction to the ‘revelation’ of a post by Michael Arrington’s “So a Blogger Walks Into A Bar…”
This true account of what happens when Tech Crunch’s Mike Arrington walks into a Silicon Valley bar has all the trappings of a gangster movie. For starters, the bar, a group of powerful early stage investors meeting, colluding, plotting against any competition, an agenda on how to control the industry and monopolize and this is NOT a movie! Here is an extract of Mike’s account:
I’ve never seen a more guilty looking group of people. But that alone isn’t that big of a deal. Lively conversations often die quickly when I arrive, and I’ve learned not to take it personally. But I did sniff around a little afterwards, and have spoken to three people who were at that meeting. And that’s where things got interesting.
This group of investors, which together account for nearly 100% of early stage startup deals in Silicon Valley, have been meeting regularly to compare notes. Early on it was mostly to complain about a variety of things. But the conversation has evolved to the point where these super angels are actually colluding (and I don’t use that word lightly) to solve a number of problems, say multiple sources who are part of the group and were at the dinner.
Is there room for price fixing, total control and a greed based structure in the free market world? Is this really best for startups? For entrepreneurs? For Silicon Valley which is a renowned culture known for promoting innovation and talent in startups?
This entire scenario is wrong on so many different levels but knowing this is what can happen within closed doors here are some changes critical to a culture which reflects the values of a entrepreneurial community and a better future for startups:
1. We need transparency. This is very evident from what we’ve just witnessed.
2. Do things in the open and on the record. Why can’t investors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders work in a transparent environment online where there is automatic accountability and governance through open interactions and a community that can see what’s going on?
3. The system has to benefit all parties involved. Entrepreneurs, investors and others. It needs to be fair and favor innovation. Bring up the best. Mystique, lack of transparency, complex rules are not benefit of anything but greed
4. There is no room for protectionism in a free market. We don’t need early stage capital markets to be exclusive to a select few who control everything. We need to make it more inclusive and involve as many as possible. The more support, the more investors, more and better companies will be born.
