The Monk and the Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Living

by Randy Komisar

With frenetic energy and a natural penchant for risk taking, these armies of prospectors are smart, hardworking, and aggressive. They do bring connections and contacts to the aid of the companies they fund, in addition to money. Often stereotyped as “vulture” capitalists who drive expensive cars, drink pricey wines, collect extravagant toys, and wish they had the time to indulge in their expensive hobbies, they are reminiscent of Wall Street masters of the universe, or L.A. players—except for one thing: their bets build the future in remarkably tangible ways. While their N.Y. and L.A. counterparts feast on marbled steaks from the corner butcher, VCs birth, fatten, and butcher their own steers before the barbecue. Take them out of the picture, and the Valley and its financial boom collapse. A few of the venture capital firms are beginning to recognize the limitations of the current “stretched thin” situation, and there are, of course, some notable exceptions to the present trend. Regardless of the amount of attention they can spend on any single company, they are still some of the heroes of the new economy.