Quora Answer: Can Venture Capital Funds Invest in a Non-Innovative Idea?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Can venture capital funding be used to invest in a non-innovative idea?” 

Venture capital funds companies and entrepreneurs at various stages of their product or service development, specific to their mandate.  Most venture capital funds claim they fund innovation.  That is the marketing spiel.  What they are looking for is high-growth opportunities, in something that is replicable and scalable.  It does not need to be innovative.  Everything they invest in, they will claim it is innovative regardless. 

To mitigate their risk exposure, most venture capital funds hunt in packs and tend to invest in the same companies within the same industries, looking to the next unicorn.  They are just as likely as many others to be caught out and fooled sometimes.  As such, most of them succeed as a pack, or fail as one.  As long as you can demonstrate that your idea is replicable and scalable, with a viable potential exit, they will pile on you and offer you money.  You do not need to be innovative.  You just need to be the most likely to succeed.

Quora Answer: How Would You Describe Your Leadership Skills?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How would you describe your leadership skills?” 

I am, generally, an authoritarian leader.  This does not make me autocratic.  Rather, I believe that a good leader needs counsel and advisors.  The difference is that it is important to identify credible counsel and subject matter experts, and consider their advise.  There is little value in the thoughts of the masses, until they prove themselves. 

In my style of leadership, I have this need to consider the larger strategic picture, and the consequences of actions.  This makes me effective in executive action, and I am generally, ruthless enough to accept losses within specific parameters in the near term for a longer term gain.  I am not personally invested in the human resource aspect of things.

My weakness is that I have a low tolerance for anyone I consider incompetent, and disregard them.  Whilst this is necessary, I also understand that this should be done in a subtler manner less it generates unnecessary conflict.  There is worth in contenting with leaders on different perspective and directions, because even when we disagree or lose, we still learn.  There is little to gain in conflicts with lesser people.  Transitioning into a democratic style of leadership in line with current social developments is a work in progress.

The Abuse of Writing

Dorothy Leigh Sayers, the English writer and poet, said, “Any fool can tell a lie, and any fool can believe it; but the right method is to tell the truth in such a way that the intelligent reader is seduced into telling the lie for himself.”

Enunciation Apocalypse

Enunciation is an important as pronunciation in speech.

What is Not Apparent

We take much of our knowledge for granted.  And we have no idea how much we do not know about anything.

The Devastating Reply

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, the Irish poet and playwright, said “A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.”

Box for It

Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and usually sound alike, but have different meanings.  This affords us an opportunity to play on those words for humorous effect.