President Obama hints at a future in Venture Capitalism, and Silicon Valley is salivating

In seven months, President Barack Obama will leave the White House as president of the United States. He’s going to need a job. Recently, he hinted at the possibility of joining entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley.

President Obama said “had I not gone into politics, I’d probably be starting some kind of business,” said President Obama. “The skill set of starting my presidential campaigns—and building the kinds of teams that we did and marketing ideas—I think would be the same kinds of skills that I would enjoy exercising in the private sector. … The conversations I have with Silicon Valley and with venture capital pull together my interests in science and organization in a way I find really satisfying.” On hearing the news, Valley investors were quick to save the president a spot on Sand Hill Road. President Obama, of course, wouldn’t be the first Washington power player to make such a move. Former secretary of defense Colin Powell joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers in 2005, followed by former vice president Al Gore in 2007. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state under George W. Bush, teamed up with Khosla Ventures in 2012. Numerous Congressional representatives and government officials have found homes at venture firms in the Bay Area.