[saikat]

Though I agree with you and think it's unnecessary to forego opportunities like this for the sake of your startup, I just wanted to mention that that in a Q&A session with Steve Jobs that I attended, one kid asked him what advice he had for young entrepreneurs. He said a few things, but I remember vividly that he said (paraphrased), "Make your startup your sole passion and goal in your life - you won't have time for a side job or a girlfriend or anything else - you can't love anything more." It seems like he thought having nothing else take up any of his attention was, in fact, part of the reason for his success. I wonder how true it actually is.