A family is a risky venture, because the greater the love, the greater the loss... That's the trade-off. But I'll take it all.
Solyndra's failure isn't a reason for the government to give up on alternative energy, any more than the failure of Pets.com during the Internet bubble means that venture capital should steer clear of tech projects.
I think that every artistic venture is a risk, and it has to be that way, so you do as much preparation as you can and make that as thorough as you can possibly make it, until you turn up on set. It's about taking risks, and some might work and some might not, but that's what makes it interesting.
I keep anywhere between 5-10 percent of my net worth in venture ideas.
The big advantage that we have as a venture capital firm over a hedge fund or a mutual fund is we have a 13-year lockup on our money. And so enterprise can go in and out of fashion four different times, and we can go and invest in one of these companies, and it's okay, because we can stay the course.
Finance is critical. If sufficient investment is made in infrastructure and venture capital is made available, there will be a big improvement in the situation.
But at the same time that the experience is pulling you apart, it's also bonding you. You have this joint venture! You both made this baby. And that's the thing I still can't get over.
Sitting at a candidate rally is similar to sitting in a ballyard. Both give you the opportunity to assess the technical metrics and reflect on the intangibles - what baseball calls 'make up' and politics calls 'character' - the leadership, talent and maturity to add value to a venture.
Accounting rules give financial institutions flexibility about when they choose to recognize venture capital profits.
I would venture to warn against too great intimacy with artists as it is very seductive and a little dangerous.