Time after time at the Entrepreneurs’ Series venture capital event Wednesday, investors from angels to major southeast VC firms kept stressing personality even more than technology, products and customers.

Do you as an entrepreneur have passion or are you just looking to make a quick buck and cash out?

Where’s the commitment?

Drive? 

Do you want to build a sustainable company?

Yes, the technology is important. But even if it can revolutionize a business or industry, can you sell yourself, too?

Can you walk the talk without turning off potential partners, investors and customers?

Here’s a shining example:

Ben Weinberger, co-founder and CEO of Digitalsmiths.

At least, according to one of his big venture backers.

Weinberger and co-founder Matthew Berry recently sold Durham-based Digitalsmiths for $135 million, and venture capitalist Wright Steenrod wasn’t surprised. The partner at Chrysalis Ventures says he knew he had a winner when making due diligence calls about Weinberger before investing.

“Nobody ever had a bad word to say about him – nobody,” Steenrod says with incredulity in his voice.

In the cable TV industry, he points out, “Nobody likes nobody.” 

Look at the players and the personalities. Free enterprise isn’t about making cookies, and in cable no one takes prisoners – but they do buy each other.

So, Steenrod is asked, what’s Weinberger’s personal “secret sauce” – the term used so often to describe what makes startups different.

“I don’t know,” Steenrod replies.

“I wish I could bottle it!”

Semper Fi, Ben

Steenrood, a Marine Corps veteran who rose to the rank of captain and is a former CEO as well as M&A banker, knows something about loyalty and service as well as business. So the questions kept coming about what sets Weinberger apart?

He’s obviously smart. Digitalsmiths has developed video search technology that Weinberger and Berry are using to land the major cable TV and other video providers as customers. But there’s more, Steenrod says.

He’s affable. He’s a nice guy. He doesn’t come off as an arrogant stuffed shirt.

“He’s very good face-to-face,” Steenrod declared in a panel discussion earlier about what investors are seeking in entrepreneurs.

“This guy is really on to something,” Steenrod recalled thinking after checking out Weinberger and Digitalsmiths. After all, the VC declared, “he’s got the largest cable TV companies as customers.”

In a conversation after the panel discussion, the ex-Marine picked up on the theme.

“A big part of the story is personality,” he explains. “Ben is just likable.

“You don’t hear anybody say anything bad about Ben.”

So mix cutting-edge patented technology with a winning personality and customers. What’s the recipe produce?

A $130 million exit.

Who says nice guys don’t finish first?