Ted Wang, Partner at Cowboy Ventures and former startup attorney, reflects on how his perspective on venture fund ownership changed after transitioning into investing.
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“When I was a lawyer watching other venture capitalists amass their portfolios, I really didn't understand, you know, why they were so focused on percentage ownership. And I sort of thought it was, it sounded pretty stupid to me, to be honest with you. And now I found that I was in fact dead wrong and percentage ownership is just so critical”
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