Venture capital has managed to maintain a decent reputation, even as the crisis has turned other areas of finance into public enemies. It's because venture capitalists are seen as breathing life into the great firms of tomorrow, whereas hedge funds use client money to exploit arbitrage opportunities, and PE funds are seen as picking apart once-great companies. In a NYT op-ed , New York VC Alan Patricoff ( SAI #5 ) and former NY Insurance Commissioner Eric Dinallo urge Obama not to include V