Sol Orwell at Big Omaha: 84% of high growth companies did not take any VC [Video]

Sol Orwell of Examine.com spoke at Big Omaha 2016 about his life as a immigrant, turning down investors, and work-life balance. He also discussed how venture capital is like a lottery. “In the average venture fund 2 percent of the companies generate 98 percent of the revenue,” said Orwell. “These are the things we never consider.” Orwell also…

Sol Orwell of Examine.com spoke at Big Omaha 2016 about his life as a immigrant, turning down investors, and work-life balance. He also discussed how venture capital is like a lottery.

“In the average venture fund 2 percent of the companies generate 98 percent of the revenue,” said Orwell. “These are the things we never consider.”

Orwell also explains that the vast majority of the fastest growing companies in the country started without any outside investment.

“It comes down to this: 84 percent of high-growth companies did not take any VC,” said Orwell.

Orwell compares being VC-funded to being a celebrity.

“You are always hear about those top two, three, four, five celebrities that made it, but you never hear about all the others,” said Orwell.

Venture capital takes away your control which ultimately leads to greater stress, according to Orwell.

“People think that venture capital is free money. It’s not. it’s debt,” said Orwell. “They expect to be paid before you get your money.”

See more videos from Big Omaha on the Big Omaha YouTube page.

Big Omaha and Silicon Prairie News are properties of AIM.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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