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In this paper we develop a co-investment mechanism for promoting early investment in Start-up Firms. Focusing on the (uncertain) payoffs earned by a Public Venture Capitalist (PVC) and an Independent Venture Capitalist (IVC), we model each of the alternative mechanisms as an investment timing real option and illustrate that co-investing might be the most effective mechanism to foster investment in Entrepreneurial Firms. Grounded on this theoretical framework, we list a set of both public policy and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to use a bargaining power model to reduce moral hazard—in the form of entrepreneurial effort shirking—and derive an optimum sharing ratio of a Profit and Loss Sharing (PLS) contract that involves a Venture Capitalist and an Entrepreneur. The model reveals the following interesting findings. First, under complete information—where the Venture Capitalist has a bargaining power ‐ Venture Capitalist offers the entrepreneur a profit sharing ratio that is less than her capital contribution ratio. Second, in an incomplete information setting, the entrepreneur demands a profit sharing ratio higher than her capital contribution ratio when the sum of the marginal cost (from exercising a higher effort) and private benefits (from exercising a low effort) is greater than the marginal return (from exercising a high effort). In addition, the model is used to derive a span of negotiation about the profit sharing ratio. Finally, an agent based simulation (Netlogo) platform is considered to implement the model, which allows a faster numerical calculations of the profit share and helps decide on the validity of the funding contract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine whether the value of quality signals (patent activity and founding team characteristics) transmitted by emerging biotechnology firms is influenced by the geographic distance between venture capitalists and biotechnology firms. In line with the notion that signals are more valuable to receivers in environments of elevated information asymmetries and under the premise that longdistance transactions present such an environment, we empirically reveal that patent activity and founding team entrepreneurial experience are more effective in increasing venture capital investments when the distance between investors and investees is elevated. Our results, therefore, corroborate the rationale that because tacit knowledge circulates mostly within local circles, it diminishes the value of signals for local transactions, as a priori knowledge about potential target firms is more easily assessed by investors. Our study contributes to the literature on the factors that drive the value of signals, on the literature that studies the function of patents and other forms of intellectual property as a means to boost firm performance, and on the literature on the geography of venture capital investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venture capitalists and angel investors usually apply a set of assessment criteria to evaluate the key elements of entrepreneurial projects. However, since each investor considers different criteria, previous researchers who analysed investors' decision making, ended up analysing a variety of divergent aspects. In this paper, a systematic literature review on the assessment criteria applied by equity investors was carried out. The purpose of this study was to identify and classify all the criteria considered by previous researchers to determine whether some aspects were investigated more extensively than others and to understand the reasons for this type of approach. After screening the abstracts of 894 journal publications, 53 articles were selected for a detailed analysis. In total, 208 unique criteria were identified and were subsequently classified into 35 specific categories, 11 generic classes and 4 main domains of analysis. The high level of detail and granularity of this work is one of its added values and can provide a knowledge base for future researchers who intend to apply new methodologies for the analysis of investors' decision-making. Starting from the results obtained so far, a new agenda for future research is suggested to encourage a more data-driven approach leveraging data science techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and policymakers agree that early-stage venture capital is the most important element of innovation pipeline in the health care industry. However, securing the financing at the very beginning of innovation pathway in health care is challenging and relies on an in-depth understanding of investment strategies implemented by venture capitalists. In turn, this requires us to take a broader look at global trends in early-stage venture capital funding of health care oriented life-science projects. Referred to the above, this article aims to provide the outlook for early-stage venture capital investment in Europe and provide its benchmarking performance analysis. Using data on early-stage venture investments in health care-related life-science projects, we present its long-term dynamics and analyse current trends. Additionally, we check whether investment decisions are motivated by the short-term return opportunities or they are made as a part of long-term strategy. We find that Europe, with uneven and volatile financings, is still lagging behind the investment levels of the U.S. Our findings also support the cautionary behaviour of investors and their awareness towards the highly volatile nature of short-term returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Staged financing is a prominent feature of the venture capital investment process. With staged financing, venture capitalists (VCs) may choose to either make an investment or delay it at each round. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of market uncertainty, project-specific uncertainty and agency problems on these decisions. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses data from Indian firms that received venture capital funding between 2000 and 2017. The duration between funding rounds is analysed using survival analysis. An accelerated failure time model is used to estimate the influence of market uncertainty, project-specific uncertainty and agency problems on the length of time between funding rounds. Findings: VCs delay investment when there are high levels of uncertainty in the market; if market uncertainty increases by 1%, delay in funding increases by more than 6% (almost a month) on average. There is no statistically significant relationship found between the funding duration and project-specific uncertainty. Agency problems motivate VCs to invest sooner. An increase in agency problems results in a reduction of 55% (almost five months) in the length of time before the next funding round. Practical implications: This study has useful business policy implications. It provides VCs with real option value drivers such as market uncertainty, agency problems, which influence the timing of decisions in staged investment processes. It will help to make the choice between investing and delaying at each round of financing more robust. Further, it is useful for VCs to differentiate between market uncertainty and agency problems against the backdrop of their different implications for staging decisions. Originality/value: Few studies have examined staging decisions from a real options perspective in the context of a developed economy and very few from a developing economy perspective. This study increases understanding of staging decisions in the Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Longitudinal Research Database (LRD) of the U.S. Census Bureau, which covers the entire universe of private and public U.S. manufacturing firms, to study several related questions regarding the efficiency gains generated by venture capital (VC) investment in private firms. First, do VCs indeed improve the efficiency (total factor productivity, TFP) of private firms, and if so, are certain kinds of VCs (high reputation vs. low reputation) better at generating such efficiency gains than others? Second, do VCs invest in more efficient firms to begin with (screening), or do they improve efficiency after investment (monitoring)? Third, do efficiency improvements due to VC backing arise from increases in sales or reductions in costs? Fourth, do VC backing and the associated efficiency gains affect the probability of a successful exit (IPO or acquisition)? Our analysis shows that the overall efficiency of VC-backed firms is higher than that of non-VC-backed firms at every point in time. This efficiency advantage of VC-backed firms arises from both screening and monitoring: The efficiency of VC-backed firms prior to receiving financing is higher than that of non-VC-backed firms, and further, the growth in efficiency subsequent to VC financing is greater for such firms. The above increases in efficiency of VC-backed firms are spread over the first two rounds of VC financing after which the TFP of such firms remains constant until exit. Additionally, we show that while the TFP of firms prior to receiving financing is lower for high-reputation VC-backed firms, the increase in TFP subsequent to financing is significantly greater for these firms, consistent with high-reputation VCs having greater monitoring ability. We disentangle the screening and monitoring effects of VC backing using three different methodologies: switching regression with endogenous switching, regression discontinuity analysis, and propensity score matching. We show that while overall efficiency gains generated by VC backing arise primarily from improvements in sales, the efficiency gains of high-reputation VC-backed firms arise also from lower increases in production costs. Finally, we show that VC backing and the associated efficiency gains positively affect the probability of a successful exit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study empirically evaluates the certification and value-added roles of reputable venture capitalists (VCs). Using a novel sample of entrepreneurial start-ups with multiple financing offers, I analyze financing offers made by competing VCs at the first professional round of start-up funding, holding characteristics of the start-up fixed. Offers made by VCs with a high reputation are three times more likely to be accepted, and high-reputation VCs acquire start-up equity at a 10-14% discount. The evidence suggests that VCs' "extra-financial" value may be more distinctive than their functionally equivalent financial capital. These extra-financial services can have financial consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the Internet and the maturation of the information technology (IT) industry has significantly decreased transaction and coordination costs. However, there is still a strong preference for being geographically proximal, notably when accessing capital markets for innovation activities, such as the formation of funding ties between venture capitalists (VCs) and new IT ventures. While VCs prefer to support colocated entrepreneurs, significant evidence suggests that the funding of nonlocal IT entrepreneurs does occur. In this work, we investigate how trends in the form of herding and media coverage, which are not specific to the entrepreneur but pertain to the technology sector in which the entrepreneur operates, may influence VCs to reach across geographic boundaries. Using a series of matched sample methodologies, results suggest that the influence of media is significantly stronger for VCs considering funding non-colocated, as opposed to colocated, IT entrepreneurs. However, and strikingly, support for the effect of herding is notably weaker. Managerial and policy implications, particularly for technology entrepreneurs and policy makers seeking to support such innovators, are discussed within. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial ventures are a key source of innovation. Nowadays, ventures are backed by a wide array of investors whose complementary asset profiles differ significantly. We therefore assert that entrepreneurial ventures can no longer be studied as a homogeneous group. Rather, we harness the inherent dichotomy in the profiles of independent VCs and corporate investors to study ventures' innovation outcomes. Our sample consists of 545 U.S. biotechnology ventures founded between 1990 and 2003 and backed by independent venture capitalists ( VCs) or corporate VCs ( CVC). We find CVCs' investees exhibit higher rates of innovation output, compared to independent VC-backed peers. Moreover, the performance of CVC-backed ventures is sensitive to their ability to leverage corporate assets, underscoring the role of CVC accessibility and FDA approval requirements as the mechanisms associated with CVC contribution. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses views of professor Jerold L. Zimmerman on role of accounting in modern business firms. Topics discussed include profits and risks involved in doing business in developing countries where rule often changes with changes in government, volatility in businesses across the world in context of global financial crisis and Russian default in 1998, and prospects of venture capital investments.

The article focuses on the innovations which took place in venture finance contracts in the U.S. Topics discussed include the role of technological advancement in reducing the cost of new technology companies, the role of cloud computing in regulating the issues of convertible note and convertible preferred stock, and the impact of the partnership with the end users of contracts on the process of contractual innovation.

The article discusses Global Venture Capital (VC) investments, Corporate Venture Capital (CVC), and worldwide investments in start-ups. It presents data for top global CVC firms and how VC activities are conducted by these firms and mentions that main business of these companies are to provide services rather than to make investments in start-ups. It also discusses advantages and disadvantages of direct investments, CVC through partnership, and access to start-up's technology.

In this paper we develop a catalog of metaphor families that Silicon Valley venture capitalists use in their public communications. In establishing this preliminary catalog we aim to provide additional insight into the venture capitalist perspective and also lay the foundation for the development of a grounded cultural model of Silicon Valley venture capitalists. To develop this catalog we surveyed on average 30 venture capitalists each quarter from Q1 2004 to Q1 2009. We analyzed these 21 qualitative datasets, coding and categorizing more than 10,000 words of direct venture capitalists' communications. We found that VC communications fall into 14 dominant metaphor families (e.g. Darwinism, physics, religion, etc.). We contribute to the literature on venture capital by establishing a catalog of predominant VC metaphor families as an initial step toward a grounded cultural model of venture capital. This catalog may also provide further context for related studies on VC decision-making and an additional tool for stakeholders of the venture capital industry in better interpreting VC communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the role of entrepreneurs-in-residence (EIRs) in closing the equity gap born by a lack of venture capital investment in early stage businesses. We conducted interviews with 10 Israeli-based venture capitalists and four EIRs to identify the mechanisms and actions used by EIRs when operating in venture capital firms, and subsequently in funded ventures, that lead to a greater proportion of funds targeted to seed investments. The findings of our exploratory study suggest that EIRs facilitate investment decisions by acting as catalysts in the development of the relationship between the venture capitalist and the fund-seeking entrepreneur. EIRs can thus prevent some of the problems that preclude venture success through the nurturing of trusted relationships with both fund-seeking entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Furthermore, ex-ante, during and ex-post investment, through building these trusted relationships, EIRs act as transaction-cost reducers, thus increasing expected return on investments from early stage ventures. In an attempt to help reduce the equity gap by developing a better understanding of this key phenomenon, these findings provide guidance to rising entrepreneurs as they develop their early stage businesses, to venture capitalists as they look for investment opportunities, and to governments eager to increase the rate of seed funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an analysis of international relocation decisions of venture capital (VC)-backed companies. Relocations to the United States are motivated by economic conditions as well as an improvement in the laws of the country in which the entrepreneurial firm is based. Relocations to the United States yield much greater returns to Asia-Pacific VCs than investing in companies already based in the United States at the time of VC investment. Further, more experienced Asia-Pacific VCs have greater success with their investee relocations to the United States, and these relocations yield higher returns relative to staying in their country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the post-investment behavior of venture capital firms and how this varies according to their source of finance and degree of independence from major financial institutions and examines how venture capital firms in the three categories of Independent, Semi-captive, and Captive firms behave in managing their investments once the capital has been raised. The research showed that it was important to separately identify the semi-captive firm, and it was not appropriate to simply classify the group with captive venture capital firms. The differences indicated less concern with agency costs for semi-captive firms and a more hands-off approach.