It's an old - and true - cliche that VCs rarely actually say 'no' - more often they say 'maybe', or 'not right now', or 'my partners aren't sure', or 'that's interesting, let me think about it'
Interpretation
Venture capitalists often avoid outright rejections in favor of non-committal responses, which can be frustrating for entrepreneurs.
This quote highlights the tendency of venture capitalists (VCs) to use ambiguous language when responding to investment proposals. Instead of providing a definitive 'no', they might say phrases like 'maybe' or 'not right now', leaving entrepreneurs in a state of uncertainty. This can create a false sense of hope, as it allows entrepreneurs to interpret these responses in various ways, often clinging to the potential of future interest rather than facing an outright rejection.
In practice
During a pitch meeting, an entrepreneur might recount this quote to emphasize the uncertainty faced when seeking funding.
People are so bad at driving cars that computers don't have to be that good to be much better. Any time you stand in line at the D.M.V. and look around, you're like, Oh, my God, I wish all these people were replaced by computer drivers.
It's really rare for people to have a successful start-up in this industry without a breakthrough product. I'll take it a step further. It has to be a radical product. It has to be something where, when people look at it, at first they say, 'I don't get it, I don't understand it. I think it's too weird, I think it's too unusual.'
Entrepreneurs say in an economic boom it's actually hard to build a company because everybody's too excited and there is too much money funding too many marginal companies.
I love what the Valley does. I love company building. I love startups. I love technology companies. I love new technology. I love this process of invention. Being able to participate in that as a founder and a product creator, or as an investor or a board member, I just find that hugely satisfying.
China is very entrepreneurial but has no rule of law. Europe has rule of law but isn't entrepreneurial. Combine rule of law, entrepreneurialism and a generally pro-business policy, and you have Apple.
An awful lot of successful technology companies ended up being in a slightly different market than they started out in.
Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking.
I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.
"...piling up zeros in your bank account, or cars in your driveway, won't in and of itself make you successful. Rather, true success is based on a constant flow of giving and recieving. In fact, if you look up affluence in the dictionary, you'll see its root is a Latin phrase meaning "to flow with abundance". So in order to be truly affluent, you must always let what you have recieved flow back into the world."
Don't be too ambitious. Do the most important thing you can think of doing every year and then your career will take care of itself.
Part of the success of Girls Who Code is that I am a hustler. When people ask what my biggest strength is, it's that I'm shameless. I will ask people for help even when I don't know them.
Don't start a company unless it's an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it's not an obsession.
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