"The companies that we have controlled are those we have been most successful with, the companies where we are passive, or we don't spend the time there, they just haven't been successful."

[...] The Canopy Group holds "bankers' summits? for its portfolio companies. "It's part of the whole model that I've tried to create here at Canopy," said Yarro. "We do whatever we can for the benefit of the whole or the given companies. So, on Canopy's dime, we host as many banks, strategic partners, and VCs as we can. This gives funding sources exposure to what we internally at Canopy determine is the cream of the crop: the top 10 to 20 companies we believe deserve an opportunity to get in front of these different banks."

Canopy looks to exit its companies at any stage, or at least bring in other money. "We welcome outside investors into our portfolio companies," said Yarro. "That's the purpose for funding them. You fund something with the hope of being diluted."-- Ralph Yarro, 2001-04-01