During COVID, I posted, “The cure may be worse than the disease." Based on the comments I received, you would’ve thought I was calling for all-out anarchy. Half a decade later… I think I was right. Politicians and media created 3-4 years of paranoia. 📏 6 feet apart 😷 Masks 😨 Fear-based decisions Think about this… Mental health startups BEFORE COVID: 0 Mental health startups AFTER COVID: 500+ We broke people's minds. VC investors were no exception to the breakage. Funding stalled as investors were hesitant to sign checks based on a Zoom call. Those who were willing to make value-based decisions instead of fear-based decisions had no shortage of investment opportunities to choose from. Regardless of societal factors and market volatility, early stage VC outperforms all asset classes, and we at Draper Associates continued to fund worthy startups through the Pandemic. That didn’t change during COVID and it won’t change during the next global phenomena. I’m truly hoping that the response to the pandemic was a learning experience for the public. Don't let mass hysteria happen again. After all, as Frank Herbert says in Dune, "Fear is the mind killer!"(Tim Draper)