Dewey Oxberger!
What are you doing? No, no… get off. Get off. See… you gotta make my bunk. See, we’re in Italy. The guy on the top bunk, he’s gotta make the guy on the bottom’s bunk… he’s gotta make his bed, all the time. See, it’s in the regulations. See, if we were in Germany, I’d have to make yours. But we’re in Italy, so you gotta make mine. [shrugs his shoulders] Regulations.
–Dewey “Ox” Oxberger to Pvt “Cruiser” in Stripes
Welcome to the first installment of my blog, StarkRavingVC. Why now? I am beyond fashionably late to this game. Even though I love to write, I have hesitated to blog regularly for two reasons. First, I work too much and have three kids who I care about deeply. A good blog takes work and dedication, and I didn’t want that effort to cut into time with Zack, Ellie and Gabe. Second, and I am not just saying this to sound humble, I have questioned whether I have insights worthy enough to add to the blogosphere on a regular basis. I guess you will be the judge of that.
My decision to enter the fray now is due partly to my kids getting older and partly as homage to the sentiments expressed by the Great Dewey Oxberger (in one of the best movie scenes ever). If you are investing in the consumer Internet space and you are asking entrepreneurs to put their faith in you, you should mix it up a bit. If you have something to say, say it. It’s in the regulations.
Before kicking it off, let me set a couple ground rules for this blog. First, the opinions I express in this blog are mine, not Madrona’s or the legions of people whose opinions are likely more valuable than mine. Second, as my wife and kids remind me on a regular basis, I am wrong at least as often as I am right. I reserve the right to change my mind and to say stupid stuff. Finally, I want this blog to be interactive. I promise to take constructive feedback in stride and to engage in a dialogue, particularly with any non-anonymous source.
(Special thanks by the way to my colleague, Julie Sandler, who came up with the killer name StarkRavingVC, one of the few English-sounding .coms not taken. I won’t even tell you some of the other names I considered. Okay, I now own PhatVC.com.)