This post just helps reinforce the opinion that most VCs don't really know what startups do. Yes, they both raise money and some even have a website. That's where the similarities end.
With some outliers, most VCs don't try to create new value, they just try to create new money. The risk they take is minimal compared to startups - it's not their money (it's their investors), and a nice cushy salary is all but assured for several years. Even when they fail (and they fail a lot - like most businesses do) - they barely feel each failure compared to how the startups feel it (I guess their reputation / pride takes a hit?).
If you want to self promote - as an entrepreneur, I would much rather read about how you are adding value instead of convincing me you don't know what I do either.
Everyone's life FEELS hard, especially compared to the lives of those a few rungs up the ladder.
That said, not everyone's life IS hard. If you can afford not to take a paycheck for a few months to work on a dream, perhaps you should recalibrate your "how hard life is"-o-meter.
This would be somewhat easier to swallow without the picture of the boat.
Jonathon's had a lot of portfolio success, has a great sense of humor, and is awesome to work with. Whether or not he runs a startup, I don't know, it's mostly semantics IMO, but I do know I'd go back to him at every raise. I think the point he's trying to make is that he's "one of the guys" and therefore an entrepreneur-friendly VC. I'd agree wholeheartedly. He also has a ninja-like backhand in table tennis.
If Startup=Growth, as PG said, then VCs are not startups, apart from YC and possibly 500 Startups.
Cool portfolio of Companies though!
That's a beautiful boat. Perhaps not a first choice in heavy seas, but pretty nonetheless.
No they're a small investment business. There's a lot of small businesses that aren't "startups" that do a lot of the same things that Startups do but opening a McDonald's franchise isn't a startup either. I run a small agency of about 10 folks, I'm sure I do a lot of the same things as a startup founder does, we work with startups all the time, but that doesn't make my business a startup.
Hey we're all entrepreneurs though.