[vantran]

Investing in people over their ideas is always advisable. But let's not forget how brilliant people can still fail. Tons of bright kids come out of MIT, Harvard, Stanford, etc... Should you blindly invest in all of them?

Instead, I prefer Mark Suster's "invest in lines, not dots" strategy. You really have to spend more time to have a better idea on whether you should invest.

In hindsight, of course Drew Houston would be a good investment.

[three14]

I think he's not suggesting investing in "bright kids," but "smart and gets things done." Or "relentlessly resourceful." Smart is just one of the criteria, but he still would invest in people, not in "the idea."