This is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for when I...

This is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for when I posed my queries, @dunnomuch. Thanks for the detailed response. Your insights are valuable for investors who do have as much experience and network.

While I do not have the funds to run a VC, I approach all my investments with a VC mindset. I am not interested in small gains; here for the long-term and much higher returns. I have not put my house in these investments and will have a comfortable lifestyle even if all of them bite the dust. But, if just 3 out of my 10 investments do well, I should live much more comfortably in about 5 years' time. I just want to make sure that I know the companies very well where I invest, so even when they fail I don't feel guilty. This is where your and others' insights become so useful.

I would love to see a very competitive Ashes (aka 2005), not just one side dominating the whole series with our Boys winning in the final hour of the 5th test. Wouldn't that be great if coincided with HMD signing a multi-year contract with Mednax! Dreaming :-