> Guest after guest walked past the pair of executives to greet their White employee, offer their congratulations and ask how he got the idea for the product.
This sort of thing has never, ever happened to me. Nobody has ever suggested that I hire a wingman of a different ethnicity or gender or anything similarly asinine either.
Not sure about silicon valley but this sort of a thing is common in international businees. Depending on who you are meeting with, ethnicity can help or hurt impressions and negotiations.