[tptacek]

This conflict is nothing new and is inherent to the model of organized private investors picking companies to invest in. The exact same problem emerges when an investor decides to invest in a portfolio competitor, or invests in a company that pivots to that role. It's why startups are antsy about who they allow to hold board seats.

[thesteamboat]

> This conflict is nothing new and is inherent to the model of organized private investors picking companies to invest in.

We're in agreement here.

Because this comes up in practice there are a slew of reasonable ways to deal with these sorts of scenarios. I think the original article's "what do we do about it" section falls nicely into this discussion.

I think the extent of my position here is that VC firms are at a heightened risk of dealing with this type of conflict of interest problem, and would be well served by having clear policies on how they resolve them.

edit:grammar