Successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and VC's talk about failure like it's a good thing. It teaches us lessons etc. That's an easy outlook to have from with

Successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and VC's talk about failure like it's a good thing. It teaches us lessons etc. That's an easy outlook to have from within the walls of multi-million dollar homes and offices. The effect of failure, to them, is that their ridiculous net worth will be slightly less ridiculous. It has exactly zero impact on their daily lives. The reality is that most entrepreneurs - those that do not have the pedigree to be handed huge checks from VC's - have everything on the line. To most, failure means that they and their families will suffer severely. People often start businesses because they have needs or responsibilities that are above their earning power at a regular job. When you combine those pressures with the high failure rate of startups, you get a high suicide rate. It's sad, but it's not a problem that is unique to the Downtown Project.