I'm sorry, but I've seen too many Startups hire friends--not "Talented, persistent and technical-minded persons willing to sacrifice a huge part of their lifes for their careers."

I wish Startups, Businesses, and Government would hire the best and the brightest, but nepotism and networking seem to be more important factor. So many guys who got rich in the Startup world--owe a lot to luck. They are usually in deep denial, until the company is sold, or goes under. I had a friend who got lucky with a gaming company. He went from a humble guy to someone I just couldn't listen to. What bothered me was he never let me in on the "game" early on. I guess he wasn't much of a friend? And that's why I never kept in touch. (This is not geared to you, but your post got me thing about this industry.)