I am an early stage technology investor.   It’s what I love and I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

And with the job title of VC comes a few primary functions:

(1) Be great at finding, cultivating, and investing in amazing entreprepreneurs building disruptive companies.

(2) Successfully raise money for our funds from high net worth individuals/angel investors, family offices and institutional investors.

(3) Build profitable companies by providing advice, mentorship and access to our network.

(4) Have exits and distribute money to investors.

While that sounds pretty straightforward, it’s not.  It’s really, really hard and very few firms build enduring brands that survive multiple boom and bust cycles.   At Scout, our goal is to build a great firm that lasts.

Recently, there have been a lot of discussions about what value VCs really bring?   The discussions focus on two key areas: (1) Performance and (2) Access to Deals.

Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, venture capital as an asset class is under attack. Organizations like the Kauffman Foundation are questioning the returns and structure of the industry arguing that most fund managers don’t beat the public markets and still charge management fees and carry.   In Kauffman’s May 2012 report “WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY… AND HE IS US” they state that they believe smaller funds (less than $400M) with partners that consistently beat the public markets and invest 5% of their own money are the right firms to back.

Furthermore, the very closed nature of venture capital is changing drastically with the emergence and expansion of accelerators, incubators, co-working spaces and online platforms.  Historically, VCs differentiated themselves through their “proprietary” access to the best deals.   But in recent years, entrepreneurs are experiencing an unparalleled level of access to potential investors through online platforms like SeedInvest and Angelist.   Additionally, accelerators and incubators have become masters of the overly produced “Demo Day” where I actually saw a pitch with dancers in silver sequenced dresses. Regardless, entrepreneurs and investors have many more ways to more effectively connect in person and online.   Again, another argument that VCs no longer have their unique closed access to deals.

While this might seem like a good thing, I’d argue that the more experienced, smart money is and will always be more valuable than money from some finance guy that thinks he is going to write 5 checks and find the next Google.    Often these investors have no idea how to value a start-up, how to structure a deal (equity or convertible debt) and more importantly they have no experience building early stage companies.  They simply lack the skill set and required experience.

The people with that experience – VCs.

Now, I definitely think there are some amazing entrepreneurs that sell their companies and become valuable early stage investors, but they are the exception.   Most angel investors simply are not that sophisticated and can’t add the same value that Fred Wilson can add.   Fred is one of the most knowledgeable and successful VCs and he spends a ton of time educating entrepreneurs and investors alike.    He can do that because of his years of experience as a VC.

Almost everyone knows that people are the key to making early stage companies great.  A common mistake that kills early stage ventures is hiring the wrong key people.   If you need a CTO, then obviously hire someone with technology and management experience.   If you need a great VP of Sales, then hire someone with a track record of building a sales team and growing revenue.

This seems obvious, right?

Then why wouldn’t the same hold true when entrepreneurs need money and guidance to build their company.   If you are looking for an investor – it has to be more than money.    You want someone with the experience and track record of building successful companies.  VCs have a tremendous amount of experience in building teams, building products, scaling businesses, securing subsequent rounds of financing, access to potential customers, partners and potential acquirers.

I am definitely not saying that I love VCs, because their are plenty of assholes in VC.   But if you are fortunate enough to attract a VC with a good reputation and track record – you should figure out how to get them involved with your company.

We can make a difference.