r-selected and k-selected is a matter of perspective.

In biology, r-selected organisms are ones that have a large number of cheap offspring, hoping that a small number will survive.

K-selected organisms have a small number of expensive offspring and invest heavily in them.

VC funding is r-selected from the point of view of the VC (any one of dozens can survive and it's fine), but k-selected from the point of view of the startup's founder (an n count of 1 that they are deeply tied to).