The urge to invest in bitcoin companies is the old meme that you don't get rich digging gold, but selling the miners spades.
For bitcoin, this is not correct. Just buy some coins.
Someone have to invest in companies, but it doesn't have to be you.
I would disagree. Many bitcoin related companies can be successful regardless if bitcoin is successful (or if some other altcoin is successful). They are simply 'investing' in any crypto currency taking off. With bitcoin on the other hand you will only profit if bitcoin is successful
Bitcoin companies are strongly reliant on the community, the mainstream still sees Bitcoin as a huge risk and fraudulent system, while the exaxt opposite is true, Fiat and the financial system = Fraud. It's our job to get this in the open and to make GOOD bitcoin bussinesses a succes! So yes, it's hugely inmportant to support and invest in bitcoin companies if you have some btc to spare
Many Bitcoiners are involved in fraud (look at this forum) and many Bitcoin businesses are run in an incompetent or fraudulent manner (Mt Gox, CoinLab, Bitfloor, CoinLenders, ...) so I would not make that comparison.
This is not unique to bitcoin. The same can be said regarding fiat based companies as well. The same is true for smaller businesses which fail at a very high rate when they have similar levels of revenue. The difference is that bitcoin made it easy for people to invest in these companies
