rva to become a reality. At the time, the entire list looked highly improbable, including the required initial capital to put Minerva together. Yet, Benchmark Capital among the world's most respected venture firms, took what is perhaps the single biggest bet on one person's idea in the history of Silicon Valley. E

rva to become a reality. At the time, the entire list looked highly improbable, including the required initial capital to put Minerva together. Yet, Benchmark Capital among the world's most respected venture firms, took what is perhaps the single biggest bet on one person's idea in the history of Silicon Valley. E

funds have a bad reputation. "There is an inherent paradox to the notion of corporate venture," says Bill Gurley, a general partner at the VC firm Benchmark Capital. The conflict is, do the fund's loyalties lie with the startup or with the parent? Just about every independent venture capitalist in tech has stori