&gt; <i>So what you&#x27;re saying is that SV&#x27;s well-documented sexism is (among many other things, also) may also be a significant contributing factor for reckless investment.</i><p>No, I&#x27;m not saying that at all, and my point was completely unrelated to sexism. You can be entirely un-sexist and still be subconsciously influenced by the attractiveness of the opposite sex (in case of heterosexuality; applies correspondingly to homosexual people). It&#x27;s a natural bias which we should be aware of and recognize in ourselves, so that we can compensate for it.<p>My point was that the majority of SV&#x27;s VCs are male (and presumably mostly heterosexual, like the rest of the population), so it is plausible that Holmes&#x27; gender and looks influenced VC decisions to a certain degree.