Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

marker.medium.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 145 posts

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#11

Post by flyingfences »

soapboxrocket wrote: post #8
LyndsySimon wrote: post #4

I’ve mentioned this before, but the firearms industry has a similar issue, caused by the same clauses. Local gun stores often pay very high fees for credit card processing relative to other retail stores - and unlike gambling and pornography, this doesn’t seem to be supported by a higher chargeback rate as best I can tell. They’ve just been “lumped in” because of the regulated nature of some of their products. I say…

What I find so interesting about Vice Ventures is how she has drawn a hard line on the weapons industry.

[flagged]

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#12

Post by flyingfences »

LyndsySimon wrote: post #4

I’ve mentioned this before, but the firearms industry has a similar issue, caused by the same clauses. Local gun stores often pay very high fees for credit card processing relative to other retail stores - and unlike gambling and pornography, this doesn’t seem to be supported by a higher chargeback rate as best I can tell. They’ve just been “lumped in” because of the regulated nature of some of their products. I say…

Such denials of service are due in part to the politics of the financial bigwigs, but are also due in large point to government programs [1] specifically designed to suppress "undesirable" business.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Choke_Point

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#13

Post by flyingfences »

Scoundreller wrote: post #6
LyndsySimon wrote: post #4

I’ve mentioned this before, but the firearms industry has a similar issue, caused by the same clauses. Local gun stores often pay very high fees for credit card processing relative to other retail stores - and unlike gambling and pornography, this doesn’t seem to be supported by a higher chargeback rate as best I can tell. They’ve just been “lumped in” because of the regulated nature of some of their products. I say…

I wonder if Walmart pays a higher commission on that portion of their business.

No, they're a "reputable business", i.e. large enough and well-enough established that they can't be bullied into submission.

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#15

Post by jay_kyburz »

soapboxrocket wrote: post #8
LyndsySimon wrote: post #4

I’ve mentioned this before, but the firearms industry has a similar issue, caused by the same clauses. Local gun stores often pay very high fees for credit card processing relative to other retail stores - and unlike gambling and pornography, this doesn’t seem to be supported by a higher chargeback rate as best I can tell. They’ve just been “lumped in” because of the regulated nature of some of their products. I say…

What I find so interesting about Vice Ventures is how she has drawn a hard line on the weapons industry.

Yeah, its not that they have no moral compass, its just that it points in a different direction to many people. I don't have a problem with sex tech or esports but want nothing to do with addiction.

I wonder if they would also fund email spammers if there was money in it.

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#16

Post by AmericanChopper »

flyingfences wrote: post #11
soapboxrocket wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I find so interesting about Vice Ventures is how she has drawn a hard line on the weapons industry.

[flagged]

Their mission statement is investing in industries "facing funding and/or regulatory challenges because of social disapproval", but the unstated (or perhaps implied) political angle is they are focusing on industries that society doesn't approve of, but they do. Otherwise weapons, fossil fuels and surveillance tech would be on their list too. The obvious response to that is that those industries face disapproval because of a perceived harm to society, but all of the industries they list face disapproval for the exact same reason.

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#17

Post by flyingfences »

Ancalagon wrote: post #2

Why is esports listed as a vice-venture?

I would expect that the classification is due to some combination of the gambling mechanics surrounding many popular videogames and the moral panic of today's youth spending time indoors engaging in virtualized violence.

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#18

Post by jay_kyburz »

flyingfences wrote: post #11
soapboxrocket wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I find so interesting about Vice Ventures is how she has drawn a hard line on the weapons industry.

[flagged]

I think your comment is interesting because it demonstrates how inadequate the left wing - right wing view of the world is. A lot of "left wing" energy is spent trying to kill the gambling and nicotine industry.

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#19

Post by dwoozle »

magashna wrote: post #9
LanceH wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sloth is the particular vice and playing video games is the embodiment of sloth to many.

Compared to watching TV?

I think they’re roughly the same... if you spend four hours a day playing video games or watching TV most people will judge you negatively for it

Re: Vice Ventures is investing in taboo industries that other funds won’t touch

#20

Post by klyrs »

flyingfences wrote: post #11
soapboxrocket wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I find so interesting about Vice Ventures is how she has drawn a hard line on the weapons industry.

[flagged]

I suspect that weapons producers don't have a shortage of investment opportunities. Their customers include militaries and police departments. And if it's "just politics," the finance industry skews right and the NRA is one of the most powerful lobbies in the US. If ivestors are distancing themselves from the gun industry, I'd assume that it's good ol' fiscal conservatism: mass shootings are on the rise and they don't want to touch that liability with a 10' pole.
Post reply on HN