[zachalexander]

That's a great argument for proving that startup founders are a braver group of people than VCs.

It's a terrible argument, however, for convincing a VC to fund you.

[waterlesscloud]

When did founding a startup become about proving how brave you are? That seems like a very poor standard of evaluation.

All else being equal, it seems to me that a founder with a smart approach to managing risk is a better bet than one who is reckless about it.

[zachalexander]

> When did founding a startup become about proving how brave you are?

It's not. What I was trying to say (perhaps unclearly) is it seems like you're arguing a moral point, that since VCs can diversify to reduce their risk, it's only fair that founders get to do the same.

And that's true. If you're founding a startup, and want to pool equity with other startups, nobody is going to prevent you. But VCs might be less inclined to fund you too.

So it's a question of what matters more to you -- taking more risk and perhaps getting more funding, or having less of both.