Can a private space mission pierce Venus's clouds?

With the search for extraterrestrial life set to define much of 21st-century space science, one burning question researchers face in their planning is this: How far away is the nearest Earth-like planet?

Can a private space mission pierce Venus's clouds?
With the search for extraterrestrial life set to define much of 21st-century space science, one burning question researchers face in their planning is this: How far away is the nearest Earth-like planet?