[jaypeg25]

You're taking a pretty pessimistic view of the funding and R&D process. A good idea with initial funding by the government is useless if the VC funding doesn't bring the idea to the finish line. The government can't afford to (and shouldn't) fund every good idea to their finish line.

[mempko]

It's not pessimistic, just a fact of the R&D process. Public takes the risk, reward is privatized. Otherwise the VC model wouldn't work since most research doesn't fall within the horizon of a VC fund's lifetime.