Airbnb was rejected by seven investors who could have had 10 percent of the company for $150,000 in 2008

It's often remarked that the most successful entrepreneurs refuse to be deterred by rejection.  The story of Airbnb, the home-rental service now valued at a whopping $25.5 billion, provides yet another example of why that trait is so important.  In 2008, the year Airbnb was founded, the company was looking to raise $150,000 at a $1.5 million valuation. The company approached seven prominent venture capital firms hat in hand, only to get a round of rejections, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian C...