Most successful businessmen in American history experienced some failures in spite of their overall success. The government is a very poor entity to try to start and run businesses. The government sunk billions of dollars into startup business ventures during the Obama adnministration that ultimately failed after the government money dried up.
Here are a few from just the first 4 years:
President Obama has faced a barrage of criticism for a handful of energy companies that went bankrupt after receiving government funding.
money.cnn.com
A123: The battery maker received a $249 million Department of Energy stimulus grant to build two factories in Michigan to manufacture batteries for electric cars.
Abound Solar: The manufacturer of thin-film solar panels received a $400 million DOE stimulus loan guarantee to build two factories -- one outside Kokomo, Indiana and another outside of Denver.
Beacon Power: The company received a $43 million DOE stimulus loan guarantee to build a facility in upstate New York that uses flywheels to store extra energy from the power grid, and then release it when needed. Such technology is seen as essential to integrate wind and solar into the grid, as those sources don't produce energy 24/7.
Ener1: A subsidiary of the company, EnerDel, received an $118.5 million grant to build two plants outside Indianapolis to manufacture batteries for electric cars and other uses.
Fisker Automotive: The electric car maker received a $529 million DOE-backed stimulus loan to design a mid-priced model and build a factory to manufacture the vehicle in Delaware.
Solyndra: The manufacturer of advanced solar panels received a $535 million loan guarantee to build a factory outside of San Francisco.
Nevada Geothermal Power: The firm received a $98 million DOE-backed loan to build a geothermal power plant north of Reno.
Ironically, several DC politicians invested in some of these government-funded startups and make big profits by selling back out before the money dried up and the businesses failed. Go figger.