Did you turn it into real money or are you still speculating (now with the future of your family at stake)?
#ThisIsNotInvestingAdvice
Disclaimer: I own a portion of about 100 YC companies. And some crypto.
If you don't have hedges to insure against those risks, you are still essentially gambling with your principal. Even a Series A/B Ycombinator company probably has a double-digit percentage failure rate.
Also I agree with everything you said.
Congratulations on becoming an accredited investor.