On Timing

“It’s always a good time to be in venture capital.”

“You can’t look at the stock market and decide whether or not to invest in a startup.”

“The growth of technology has been just about the only constant in our economy for a very long time.”

“[Is green technology trendy?] Sure, it’s trendy but you can’t ignore trends.”

“I love bubbles. We made a lot of money in bubbles.”

Tom speaks from the perspective of an investor but everything he says also applies to entrepreneurship.

On Venture Capital

“I used to say venture capital was like a pilot light. But now it’s like a roaring glass furnace.”

“There’s always been too much money in venture capital. It doesn’t mean you can’t make… money in venture capital.”

“Money is the least differentiated of all commodities. And venture capitalists are in the business of selling money.”

“[Where would I be if I was just getting into the Valley today?] Always as an entrepreneur. Never as a venture capitalist.”

You can find these aphorisms and more in Venture Hacks’ Twitter updates.