I was talking with a buddy of mine over burritos, and the ethics of encouraging undergrads to seek investment. My point is that it is high risk behavior – and the risks are seldom well understood. Jeff nodded and mulled it over.
“Think of it like this,” I said, dipping a chip into the fresh guacamole, “in Little League kids learn the basic skills of the game, not how to work with an agent or negotiate as a free agent.”
Again, he nodded, mentally handling the metaphor like a Rubik’s cube.
“What about the one in a thousand young person who has the mindset, skill set, potential and so on, to handle the investment responsibly? Do we deny her or him the opportunity to learn how to pitch, negotiate a deal, go through due diligence, and so on?”
No, of course not. That one in ten thousand student belongs at an incubator (which works out to be a nursery for unicorns.)
Jeff nodded. “I wouldn’t send my kid to a karate school that taught them to get into fights.”
Well said, Jeff.