i think it really depends on your field. in software, if you have a great product and are an awesome hacker, nobody cares if you got a Ph.D. (or even went to college for that matter). but if you're trying to start a company whose clients are in a more 'old-school' field, like health care, civil engineering, or bio-sciences, having a Ph.D. (or even an MD/Ph.D. if you want to start a company in the medical sector) gives you a mark of credibility ... that's the sense i've gotten from people wanting to do business in non-software fields.
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i think it really depends on your field. in software, if you have a great product and are an awesome hacker, nobody cares if you got a Ph.D. (or even went to college for that matter). but if you're trying to start a company whose clients are in a more 'old-school' field, like health care, civil engineering, or bio-sciences, having a Ph.D. (or even an MD/Ph.D. if you want to start a company in the medical sector) gives you a mark of credibility ... that's the sense i've gotten from people wanting to do business in non-software fields.