5 ms·

I wonder if any YC companies have passed on Milner's generous investment offer due to these allegations?

by dmitri1981 15y ago

jwwest 15y ago
It's highly un-PC to say, but any money coming out of Russia requires a higher level of scrutiny due to the environment there. Actually, it's probably a great idea to research any investor throughly before taking money. There's an incredible berth of information on how to create attractive companies for investment, but not so much on dating your investors.
pg 15y ago
No. In fact, I have never heard of a case where a startup refused investment from a venture fund because of who their LPs were. Incidentally, the Start Fund is Yuri's private fund. It's not part of DST.
- eps 15y ago
  The question is how likely Yuri's private fund is to stay that way.
Hitchhiker 15y ago
The guy worked for the world bank. He owns a gigantic home and probably has been vetted by the feds given their recent investment activity. I think pg must be literally rofl with some of the stuff being posted re Yuri in recent times. Do think that HN also doubles up as some kind of comedy central carefully curated by wily partners. Information asymmetry ensures that some jokes are only understood by the chosen few. Look at this " official " account http://twitter.com/#!/yurimilner http://twitter.com/#!/yurimilner for further insights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgcxGFmYyPs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgcxGFmYyPs reflects yC quite well. PG is Colonel Hogan of course.
- felipemnoa 15y ago
  Devil's Advocate: Bernard Madoff used to be chairman of nasdaq and was only "caught" because he confessed. Even when the SEC was told point blank by Harry Markopolos that Madoff was a fraud nobody did anything. When lots of money is involved some people turn a blind eye if it benefits them.
  - Hitchhiker 15y ago
    Devil's Advocate #2: The entire US ( for that matter, the world ) economy is now functionally a casino. I am sure you've read Liar's Poker, Long-Term Capital Management etc. When lots of money is involved, smart people do not turn a blind eye, they just ensure that the fine-print on contracts are done in such a way that their house is safe.
- AJ007 15y ago
  Everyone in Russia with tons of money did shady stuff to get it because in the 1990s there were effectively no rules. Anyone in Russia who wants to keep there money has to avoid pissing these people off today. I'm not sure you read the article; the point was not that That Yuri is a shady guy but rather that he is acting as a conduit for shady money from people who would be red flagged if they tried doing big things in the US.
  - Hitchhiker 15y ago
    I did not read the article till you asked me and would not change my stylish Hogan Heroes based response even a bit after skimming through it. Working on a startup starves one of normal social company, so the best I can do is to interact with random friends on HN. Applying the argument for shady money, I'd have to warrant that we're already past the point of debate with other more strange anachronisms now extant in this game. The overall US debt is just the tip.

I wonder if any YC companies have passed on Milner's generous investment offer due to these allegations?

It's highly un-PC to say, but any money coming out of Russia requires a higher level of scrutiny due to the environment there. Actually, it's probably a great idea to research any investor throughly before taking money. There's an incredible berth of information on how to create attractive companies for investment, but not so much on dating your investors.

pg 15y ago

No. In fact, I have never heard of a case where a startup refused investment from a venture fund because of who their LPs were. Incidentally, the Start Fund is Yuri's private fund. It's not part of DST.

eps 15y ago
The question is how likely Yuri's private fund is to stay that way.

Hitchhiker 15y ago

The guy worked for the world bank. He owns a gigantic home and probably has been vetted by the feds given their recent investment activity. I think pg must be literally rofl with some of the stuff being posted re Yuri in recent times. Do think that HN also doubles up as some kind of comedy central carefully curated by wily partners. Information asymmetry ensures that some jokes are only understood by the chosen few. Look at this " official " account http://twitter.com/#!/yurimilner http://twitter.com/#!/yurimilner for further insights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgcxGFmYyPs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgcxGFmYyPs reflects yC quite well. PG is Colonel Hogan of course.

felipemnoa 15y ago
Devil's Advocate: Bernard Madoff used to be chairman of nasdaq and was only "caught" because he confessed. Even when the SEC was told point blank by Harry Markopolos that Madoff was a fraud nobody did anything. When lots of money is involved some people turn a blind eye if it benefits them.
- Hitchhiker 15y ago
  Devil's Advocate #2: The entire US ( for that matter, the world ) economy is now functionally a casino. I am sure you've read Liar's Poker, Long-Term Capital Management etc. When lots of money is involved, smart people do not turn a blind eye, they just ensure that the fine-print on contracts are done in such a way that their house is safe.
AJ007 15y ago
Everyone in Russia with tons of money did shady stuff to get it because in the 1990s there were effectively no rules. Anyone in Russia who wants to keep there money has to avoid pissing these people off today. I'm not sure you read the article; the point was not that That Yuri is a shady guy but rather that he is acting as a conduit for shady money from people who would be red flagged if they tried doing big things in the US.
- Hitchhiker 15y ago
  I did not read the article till you asked me and would not change my stylish Hogan Heroes based response even a bit after skimming through it. Working on a startup starves one of normal social company, so the best I can do is to interact with random friends on HN. Applying the argument for shady money, I'd have to warrant that we're already past the point of debate with other more strange anachronisms now extant in this game. The overall US debt is just the tip.