I wonder how long it would take for any other website without 15 mln backing and direct line to Google to return.
You're lucky if you get a decent reply from customer support to begin with..
Your best bet is to change domains, fill in a redirect and try to build up backlinks again. It'll take a year or two and hopefully no competitor pops up in your space.
Or, you can try and get Andreesen-Horowitz interested in your business.
It entirely depends upon the scope of penalty. Unless you are completely deindexed from Google search results, you can always recover from a penalty.
Feel free to email me if you have any specific need.