Usually, if we're referring to SV VC, but there are others. Bain is notorious for squeezing dividends out of investments and they're categorized as Venture Capi

Usually, if we're referring to SV VC, but there are others. Bain is notorious for squeezing dividends out of investments and they're categorized as Venture Capital. Traditional private equity, ala Berkshire Hathaway, is still pretty prevalent. There are plenty of self-described VCs who aren't necessarily looking for a 10-100x return amongst 100 small investments, but 2-5x returns across dozens of investments. The vast majority of companies will never have a significant exit event triggering liquidity (IPO, M&A). Does that mean they're not worth investing in? At least with private equity, you hopefully have some ability to influence those steering the ship, and get to avoid all of the regulatory hurdles. Opaque quarterly reports and short-sellers aren't exactly encouraging.