It's not a kickback because Cyberstarts is providing 'points' which eventually equate to carry for them as advisors to the startups in the fund, to which they d

It's not a kickback because Cyberstarts is providing 'points' which eventually equate to carry for them as advisors to the startups in the fund, to which they donate their time, expertise, and so on. The implication, you could argue, is that that also includes purchases from the startups, but that isn't at all a requirement of the program, at least as far as anything legal is concerned, to my knowledge. That said, it makes sense that if you're advising companies that are building products with your advice in mind, they're going to be solving problems you need solved, so you're more likely to buy from them. The fact that you have a good working relationship with them already is a bonus, of course. That's the optimistic view. The cynical view is that it's no different from drug companies paying doctors to shill their pills.