Enlightened self-interest does not usually achieve preservation of the commons. It is not clear from this article, what specific additional insights into the community an investor can expect to receive as a consequence of their investment. i.e. over and above npm being a public resource available to all (including free-riders). Perhaps it is better to think of these infrastructure services as baubles of the VC. Much as a Venetian merchant might have "invested" in opera or a cathedral. Anyway, I don't think the hit-and-miss nature of VC justifies this type of investment; where it is known in advance that a particular company does not make its 10X return.