[csmatt]

Living in the U.S. and having gone through the effort of attempting to create a startup, programs, money, mentorships, etc. are out there, but you have to have a real drive and be able to brush off rejection. I don't think the process should be free of negative consequence and adversity. Both help weed out the people who won't be able to handle the more important challenges.

[subsystem]

I don't know. On the one hand it's good to face adversity early on as it forces you to get your act together and spares you trouble down the line. On the other hand if your skill or situation is different from troubles that you think you'll face, than the adversity becomes arbitrary. So you end up with people who where "good at the entrance exam" when you really want people who are at their best at the end of the process.