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When John Vrionis and Jyoti Bansal set out to raise money this year for their first venture capital fund, Unusual Ventures, industry peers advised them to go after the easy money — sovereign wealth funds like those managed by Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, which have become major investors in Silicon Valley.
“People would say, ‘It’s really easy — they’ll give you as much money as you want,’” Vrionis said.
But the pair said they didn’t feel comfortable making investments on behalf of repressive governments. Instead, they sought investments from nonprofit groups, historically black universities and children’s hospitals.
“People would say, ‘It’s really easy — they’ll give you as much money as you want,’” Vrionis said.
But the pair said they didn’t feel comfortable making investments on behalf of repressive governments. Instead, they sought investments from nonprofit groups, historically black universities and children’s hospitals.
