What happens when you bring VCs to D.C.

From American Public Media, this is Marketplace Tech.

I'm Stephanie Hughes.

There's a growing venture capitalist presence in the federal government. People who've been in the business of backing startups have been tapped to run the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and be the new White House AI and Crypto Tsar. Even the vice president spent time making deals in venture before he moved into politics. Sarah Kuntz is managing

director at Cleo Capital. She says, in venture, you have to be good at saying no, and taking risks

knowing they likely won't pan out. I asked her what it means to bring these qualities that are

helpful in VC to the federal government. I think that that's probably going to be a bit of a culture class.

The government and the people in America shouldn't sort of be treated to a culture where it's fine

if 90% plus fail as long as one or two does, you know, incredibly well. And regardless of sort of political leanings, I do think that

you ignore your base at your peril. And I don't think that the average American wants to feel like

it's fine that they're worse off as long as one or two Americans are doing better than ever.

I want to ask just sort of about technology generally.

You know, in Silicon Valley, there is this mindset of why do with a person, what you could do with

technology.

I don't think they mean that meanly.

It's just kind of their jobs to a certain extent.

But, you know, if we have more venture capitalists working in the federal government,

what do you think that will mean for, A, the workforce and B, the amount of technology that we see?

I mean, the idea that you always want people over technology is demonstrably not true.

And we know that every time we get in a car and choose to drive somewhere versus walk.

And so it's not that all technology is bad and you always want people powering things.

That being said, there needs to be a thought of what are the checks and balances here?

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