A good friend worked for a Valley start-up in the late-90s boom. Wasn't too sure about the organization, and yes, there were some sketchy people there.

Turns out, though, that the founder was funding payroll out of his own pocket for the last couple of months. Subsequent datapoints suggest he's a good (if occasionally odd) egg.

Trust in the Valley is a very scarce commodity, but it can be found.

Zynga? I have to say I saw it coming from miles away.