[oldmanjay]

You seem to have an ideal of purity in mind that I don't believe ever existed. I certainly can't think of a time when "the best business came out on top" as a general rule, unless you make the definition tautological.

No one is forced to "beg" for money from investors. Every entrepreneur has the choice to go it alone and build things the way you describe. Parsimoniously, that means that the VC market adds value to those who choose to use it.