It's not much more risky, because it's $100k for *you* and not tied to anyone else. If this guy could make it work financially without the 3 other people, I'd say go for it. But anyway, student loans are a bad idea too if you can avoid them. Never get into a situation where you *need* everything to go perfectly in order to remain solvent. The road of life isn't smooth, there are bumps. Don't buy a car without shocks.