Abstract:
Silicon Valley is fabled for its ability to build companies around esoteric technologies. But the uncertainty involved in nanotech investing is forcing many Bay Area firms to take a spot in Uncle Sam's queue. But why would Silicon Valley's libertarian technocrats anoint the slow-moving federal government as a nanotech savior? After all, high-profile companies like Nanosys Inc. and Nanomix Inc. have drawn tens of millions in venture capital.