While I agree with the overall sentiment that founders have to be persistent no matter what their situation, I think the real, perhaps unsaid, issue is the role that privilege plays in VC / startup success. The author here is a Stanford undergrad, Harvard MBA graduate — I say that only as a fact, not as an accusation.

Bezos was a high level hedge fund executive prior to Amazon and a Princeton grad. Gates, as everyone knows, was a Harvard dropout. Musk’s first investment was from his father.

It’s a bit easier to be persistent, and legendary, for the privileged. Should founders that do not come from privilege give up? Of course not. But let’s not pretend like it’s a pure meritocracy.

That (and I could be wrong), is a very big part of this discussion, that no one has called out yet.