I really hate the "entrepreneurs/founders will do whatever it takes to succeed" trite phrase. It's common on developer and founder blogs and should be retired due to overuse. Does anyone think that founders and startup people will actually, for example, sacrifice their firstborn child or amputate their arm to make it in the business world?

Now, obviously the author is engaging in hyperbole, and doesn't really think people should sacrifice "whatever it takes." But that just goes toward my point. We know it's unnecessary to say it to prove we're serious, so why don't we stop using it and replace it with real-life language based on commitment, intelligence, trust, and hard work?

But then again how do you raise a $40 million fund without screaming it at the top of your lungs. He probably knew going in that he was risking his reputation by doing this.

As I commented on the other thread discussing his interview, I don't get how a foreigner with NO solid local business connections expected to raise $40 million within 6 months in a conservative environment. The govt inviting you does not mean keys to the banks/the wealthy's pockets.