alt Hacker NewsThis seems to be a big part of it, but is there a separate word for it? It’s definitely not philanthropy because it’s not directed at public good.
Economics must have made a term for this part of the venture ecosystem. “Seed capital” misses the significant social and class aspects of the behavior.
Historically, the term you're looking for might have been "patronage". Wealthy individuals supported artists, scientists, or explorers not purely for financial return, but because they believed in the person, the cause, valued the association, enjoyed the influence, or whatever else.