[rkido]

VC funding is completely inappropriate for early stage startups, and it's a last resort even if you're mature enough.

Aside from that, there are entire industries that VCs don't touch until after SBIR, such as life sciences startups, where you're looking at 10 years of R&D and regulatory approval processes before you can launch on the market. That's way too long for VCs.

I empathize with your general sentiment, but non-profits and governments exist to fill in gaps that the free market cannot.