[liberationtech] investing in liberation tech

[J.M. Porup]

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Andrés,

I personally work with many angel investors who do not fit the "devil
with a checkbook" mold. These guys are heavily involved in greentech /
cleantech, people who are scared of climate change and are investing
money in developing next gen solar / wind / hydro / etc.

And here's the key insight: They want to change the world. For the
better. But they also recognize that they cannot do that unless they
harness the market to do so.

Let me give you an example. I know an angel who invested in a small
company doing R & D in nuclear fusion. Is that project likely to
succeed? No. But what if it did? Free/cheap energy for all, and a
multi-billion dollar exit for the angel. Wouldn't you call that a
win/win for humanity?

The intersection of liberation tech and the profit motive is small.
But it's also, IMHO, a sweet spot worth exploring. Because whether we
like it or not, money makes the world go around.

Jens



On 11/10/14 19:37, Andrés Leopoldo Pacheco Sanfuentes wrote:
> Ok, I read this post this morning, and I decided to let it "go." 
> But the sun has set over this North Texas Wasteland, a "safe
> haven" for the type of "angels" this post mentions, and, with the
> onset darkness, Mr Hyde wakes up!
> 
> There are no "angels" in that post! Why would anyone call "angel" 
> someone expecting an obscenely high "return on investment?" True 
> Angels don't expect "return on investment" at all!
> 
> So please stop talking about "angel investors," unless you think 
> the "hundred million dollar exit, minimum" expectation of 
> Mephistophelian people are "angelical!"
> 
> The fact is that profit and "common good" are most times divergent
>  endeavours and, if they intersect, they'd be tangent, secant, 
> perhaps even with more intersections, but - their Sims, goals, 
> objectives are radically different!
> 
> On Nov 10, 2014 9:49 AM, "J.M. Porup" <jm at porup.com 
> <mailto:jm at porup.com>> wrote:
> 
> Is it possible to make money investing in privacy- or 
> security-focused startups?
> 
> I am putting together an angel fund (in Chile, but keep reading).
> I am not an investor myself, but I'm in a position to evaluate and 
> propose startups to our participating angels.
> 
> I'd really like to see an investment or two in liberation tech.
> 
> After watching the flame war over Espionage (*not* rehashing that 
> debate, please don't shoot), it occurred to me that the primary 
> business model for successful innovation in this field is 
> foundation money, not end users.
> 
> But angel investors want to see a hundred million dollar exit, 
> minimum.
> 
> Anyone working on anything juicy in this space that would scale 
> globally and make money too? Or am I looking for something that 
> doesn't exist?
> 
> Jens
> 
> 
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> 
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