I don't mean to pile it on or kick a startup when it's down, but as the best funded Web 2.0 startup out there, Zillow demands close scrutiny.

So, now that I've got that justification out of the way, when I read that Zillow CEO Rich Barton was co-founding a hedge fund, I was surprised. Smartly shepherding the $57 million that Benchmark Capital and Technology Crossover Ventures have injected into the online real estate valuation service would seem to be enough of a challenge to fill Barton's time.

To be sure, it's unclear how much of a time commitment the new fund Barton will actually commit to the new hedge fund, but to launch something like this so soon after founding Zillow seems suspect.

For more on Barton's hedge fund, see:
John Cook
Joel Burslem

Tags: zillow, realestate, benchmark+capital, vc, venture capital