Re:Ask HN: Why did YC fund two startups that do exactly the ...
by staunch on Thursday March 22, 2012 @11:25PM
(#3743507)
He's just stating a fact. It is considered a no-no by most people.
The most common problems happen when privileged information is exchanged between the competitors.
An example: Company A discovers a killer marketing technique that gives them a big advantage but they keep their success quiet. Then the shared VC tells Company B about it. Company A loses their competitive advantage (driving up their costs, etc).
That's one of a myriad of scenarios where information exchange can be unethical and highly damaging. The hard part is that even if your VC is 100% ethical they can easily make mistakes that cause problems.
The most common problems happen when privileged information is exchanged between the competitors.
An example: Company A discovers a killer marketing technique that gives them a big advantage but they keep their success quiet. Then the shared VC tells Company B about it. Company A loses their competitive advantage (driving up their costs, etc).
That's one of a myriad of scenarios where information exchange can be unethical and highly damaging. The hard part is that even if your VC is 100% ethical they can easily make mistakes that cause problems.