> I believe KPCB were referred to as a Keiretsu There was a time when it was fashionable to imitate Japanese business, so VCs actively pursued this type of PR.

> I believe KPCB were referred to as a Keiretsu There was a time when it was fashionable to imitate Japanese business, so VCs actively pursued this type of PR. So it's more likely that KPCB issued PR about itself calling itself a Keiretsu, having the added benefit of seeming much larger than they are. (The Keiretsu were large conglomerations.) Now, not so much of that PR is being created. EDIT: I thought I remembered them self-referencing keiretsu. This is from 2001, look at the bottom: http://web.archive.org/web/200012122131/http://www.kpcb.com/ http://web.archive.org/web/200012122131/http://www.kpcb.com/? Arrogance was a strong suit. Last I knew, IRRs from funds in that timeframe were negative and that included Google!.