Entrepreneurs have the flexibility and the ability to do things that large companies simply cannot. Could a large company pull off a trick like Amyris, going from anti-malaria medicine to next-generation fuel? Vinod Khosla More Quotes by Vinod Khosla More Quotes From Vinod Khosla I'm a fiscal hawk. I vote against all taxes, but I do believe the environment, and climate change, is a bigger issue than fiscal deficits are as a risk to the nation. Vinod Khosla issues risk believe It is important in any population to have an ecosystem around start-up ideas to leverage the most out of them such an ecosystem needs developing and most of this is about giving entrepreneurs confidence. Vinod Khosla ecosystems giving ideas Climate deniers are clearly the fringe group and need to see a proctologist to find their heads. Vinod Khosla climate groups needs The only way you multiply resources is with technology. To really affect poverty, energy, health, education, or anything else - there is no other way. Vinod Khosla health-education technology energy Everybody else is afraid to fail. I do not really care because when I fail, I try something new. Vinod Khosla failing care trying If you're going to re-invent healthcare you have to start from scratch. Vinod Khosla healthcare scratches lessons I do not know what got me interested in technology. What was very clear to me very early on was that I was not interested in religion and that naturally increased my curiosity about science and technology, and I fundamentally believe the two are conflicting. Vinod Khosla technology two believe I generally disagree with most of the very high margin opportunities. Why? Because it's a business strategy tradeoff: the lower the margin you take, the faster you grow. Vinod Khosla strategy faster opportunity There are parts of the country in America, in the Midwest, where wind is a big resource, and we should absolutely use it. But to try and apply it nationally doesn't make sense. There are technologies that will work that are appropriate to certain regions. Vinod Khosla technology wind country Big data will replace the need for 80% of all doctors Vinod Khosla doctors data needs Will biofuel usage require land? Absolutely, but we think the ability to use winter cover crops, degraded land, as well as using sources such as organic waste, sewage, and forest waste means that actual land usage will be limited. Just these sources can replace most of our imported oil by 2030 without touching new land. Vinod Khosla winter mean thinking My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed. Vinod Khosla succeed failing giving No one will pay you to solve a non-problem. Vinod Khosla problem inspiration pay Communication always changes society, and society was always organized around communication channels. Two hundred years ago it was mostly rivers. It was sea-lanes and mountain passes. The Internet is another form of communication and commerce. And society organizes around the channels. Vinod Khosla communication sea years Now it will take a long time to scale biofuels, but I'm the only one in the world forecasting oil dropping in price to $35 a barrel by 2030. I'll put it on the record: Oil will not be able to compete with cellulosic biofuels. If you do it from food, the food will get so expensive you can't make fuel out of it. Vinod Khosla records oil long Religion asks you to believe things without questioning, and technology and science always encourage you to ask hard questions and why it is important in science and technology. So I was always interested in science and technology. Vinod Khosla technology important believe Seeking an acquisition from the start is more than just bad advice for an entrepreneur. For the entrepreneur it leads to short term tactical decisions rather than company-building decisions and in my view often reduces the probability of success. Vinod Khosla entrepreneur decision views Startups allow technologists and scientists to take risks and change plans in a way that would be frowned upon in a big company. Having said that, big companies will play a key role in certain areas and in partnerships with little companies. Each has its strengths. Vinod Khosla risk keys play Maybe some percentage that’s substantially larger than 95 percent of VCs add zero value. I would bet that 70-80 percent add negative value to a startup in their advising. Vinod Khosla zero add negative Certain food-based biofuels like biodiesel have always been a bad idea. Others like corn ethanol have served a useful purpose and essentially are obsoleting themselves. Vinod Khosla biofuels purpose ideas
