In part three of our Super Angel v. VC SMACKDOWN Dave McClure says “I am all about the flip. GREED IS GOOD. I am Gordon Gekko in Silicon Valley.” But is he? Wouldn’t greed be going after the big win not the tiny flip?
In this clip we come to one of the core distinctions between Super Angels and VCs: Are sub-$50 million exits the desired goal in Silicon Valley or are small acquisitions what you settle for when your company doesn’t hit it big?
McClure argues that small flips are more sustainable for the Valley, despite the fact that small flips don’t create the next Googles and Facebooks to acquire future generations of Super Angels’ companies. McClure says he’s counting on non-technology companies to start buying hundreds of technology companies, but do entrepreneurs want to sell to someone even stodgier than a Microsoft or a Yahoo?
David Hornik counters that Sand Hill Road is about changing the world and that’s the business he wants to be in. (For the record, that’s the business I moved to Silicon Valley ten years ago to cover.)
For part one of our series, “Why the Hate?” go here; for part two “Are Super Angels Just a Phase?” go here. And to catch the live debate at Orrick’s offices this Friday go here.