風險投資人迎合創業者虛榮心漸成風氣
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????朋友和家人常常問我，想不想做一名風險投資人。畢竟，我已經跟蹤報道這個行業十多年了，我熟悉這個行業，而且做風投收入肯定比現在要高。但現實是，我非常享受干新聞這一行，也硬不起心腸經常擊碎那些創業者的宏偉夢想。所以，我告訴他們，我不會做風投，我現在就挺好。 ????但我不知道風險投資人是否也會經常被家人和朋友問起，他們想不想當記者？你知道的，前提是，如果轉行不影響他們購買海灘別墅的能力。當然，還有滑雪度假屋。因此，很多風險投資人不僅寫微博，也有成為“意見領袖”或“影響者”(商務社交網站LinkedIn的說法)的強烈欲望。 ????我曾經一度批判過這種做法，認為風險投資人應該放下筆走出去，才能最好地服務于投資者。但我錯了。寫博客有助于促成交易，博客能讓創業者知道世界上有些人正在思考類似的問題。有些人手里有錢可以投資。 ????但是，如今的風險投資人已不再滿足于宣傳自身觀點。他們想讓他們投資的創業者也受到關注。不是關注這些創業者正在做的事情，而是關注他們的想法。 ????Battery Ventures日前聘請了曾經供職于《華爾街日報》（The Wall Street Journal）和《福布斯》（Forbes）的瑞貝卡?巴克曼擔任傳媒與內容副總裁。與此類似，最近，還有同樣曾經供職于《華爾街日報》的本?沃森加盟紅杉資本（Sequoia Capital）任內容負責人，前《連線》雜志（Wired）編輯邁克爾?科普蘭加盟安德森-霍羅維茨風險投資公司（Andreessen Horowitz）任類似職位。 ????這些都是新設職位。媒體老兵到任后的任務之一估計就是幫助把這些風投公司所投資的企業創業者塑造成意見領袖。在點擊量最大的網站發布嘉賓文章、在Twitter撰寫富有智慧的微博、更有意義的狀態更新，等等。至于那些新產品發布或贏得重要客戶的新聞稿，成文的套話就讓其他人去處理吧。 ????對于這類任職消息的基本解釋是，一位創業者的真知灼見能對其他創業者產生積極影響，進而改善整個生態體系。創業生態體系越完善，風險投資回報越高。這一點很重要，因為在一只基金的整個生命周期中，這些人每人都可能(依靠提取管理費)獲得幾百萬美元。 ????但我有不同的看法：風險投資人正在試圖通過迎合創業虛榮心，贏得交易。 |
????Friends and family often ask if I want to become a venture capitalist. After all, I know the business after covering it for more than a decade, and the pay is infinitely better. But the truth is that I enjoy journalism too much, and couldn't stomach having to regularly crush the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs. So no, I tell them, I'm good. ????What I wonder, however, is if venture capitalists often get asked by their friends and family if they really want to be journalists? You know, if it didn't impact their ability to make payments on the beach house. And the ski house. So many venture capitalists not only blog, but have a deep desire to be considered "thought leaders." Or "influencers," in the LinkedIn (LNKD) parlance. ????There was a time when I criticized this practice, arguing that VCs would best serve their investors by putting down the pens and hitting the pavement. But I was wrong. Blogging helped generate deal-flow, particularly by letting entrepreneurs know that there was someone out there who was thinking about similar stuff. Someone who had money to invest. ????Now, however, venture capitalists are no longer content to publicize their own views. They want their entrepreneurs to be noticed as well. Not for what those entrepreneurs are actually doing, but for what they're thinking. ????Battery Ventures yesterday hired Rebecca Buckman, formerly of The Wall Street Journal andForbes, as vice president of communications and content. This follows fellow WSJ alum Ben Worthen recently joining Sequoia Capital as head of content, and ex-Wired editor Michael Copeland joining Andreessen Horowitz in a similar role. ????These are all new positions, with the ex-journos each expected to spend part of their time helping their firm's entrepreneurs be viewed as thought leaders. Guest posts at the most-read sites, smarter tweets, more meaningful status updates, etc. Let someone else handle the ghosted quotes for press releases about a new product or client win. ????The basic explanation for such hires is that one entrepreneur's insights can have a positive effect on another entrepreneur, thus improving the overall ecosystem. And the stronger the entrepreneurial?ecosystem, the better for venture capital returns. It's important math, given that each of these folks is likely being paid at least a couple million dollars (out of management fees) over the life of a fund. ????But let me offer up an alternate theory: VCs are trying to win deals by appealing to entrepreneurial ego. |
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