For lemons to stand

F = m*a Holding force (i.e., effort, capital and time) constant, we remove mass (i.e., inertia) to accelerate the velocity of learning, cash flow and demonstrable impact. Entrepreneurs commonly cite roadblocks and investors highlight risks - the top few include: (0) Execution - will it work ? (1) Market - will people want it? (2) Financing - will it snowball before dying? Our value(venture) job before investing a single dollar is to answer (0), making an implicit bet on the team, timing and technology.  We work with founders and industry to eliminate (1), qualifying demand at specific requirements, unit volume and pricing.  Our execution along these goals reduces the need for true risk capital in (2), although growth equity, working capital lines and project finance are just as useful to scaling our businesses as others. What's your escape velocity and how can we help you achieve it in ~1 year?

Timing created the shape of the universe; we ignore that fact at our peril. Failure should not curse a neighborhood forever, if facts have indeed changed.   Value  comprises quantity and quality, neither of which is possible without alchemy (i.e., the parlaying of time, capital, momentum, talent and luck for one another).  Unit economics matter and clever structuring can't fix fugly . So we engineer companies to generate more cash than they consume.  We build credible 18-month operating plans.  We recognize scale cannot resolve negative contribution dollars, and rejigger the plan accordingly.  We aim to break even within ~1 year, but recognize  no plan is right  so  change tactics  as necessary. We are all responsible for  shooting puppies  destined to consume significant cash beyond two years. Try your hand at Lemonade Stand , in life or online.

Lemons + sugar water = lemonade Some sugar water is better than others.  We have just 12 years  to harness capital flows for sustainable global change.  The origins of venture capital and the definition of entrepreneur prove instructive. It's hard to be hopeful that your ship will return with a bounty of blubber after more than a couple years, so capitalists rely on a diversified portfolio .  That said, the captain defies mispriced odds as the bearer of risk (e.g., see Shackleton's formational role in Type III fun).  At the intersection of risk and capital, roles and responsibilities were clear then.  So what changed? Aiming for "impact" where needed most, we added capital  to excess.  In the face of misadventure, we failed to build real businesses  while ironically citing "sustainability."  We've spent decades talking about it.  The best intentions have splashed the pot with concessional capital, destroying markets....

Let's face it, we've made some lemons over the past couple hundred years. And we're not even the first to view it through that analogy. But have we done enough ?