Reconsidering the venture capitalists' “value added” proposition: An interorganizational learning perspective

This study examines the interorganizational relationships among venture capitalists (VCs) and new venture teams (NVTs) for their contribution to long-term improvement in the performance of a venture. Research in (1) learning assistance, (2) NVT dismissal and (3) procedural justice provide important insights into the unique interorganizational relationship that exists among VCs and the NVTs they fund. We found the following: (1) no statistically significant support for strategic information, (2) a negative association for dismissals and (3) positive support for procedurally just interventions. These longitudinal findings suggest important future research on interorganizational relationships.     

Normative rationality in venture capital financing

We examine whether venture capitalists (VCs) make investments based on normative rationality, which is derived from habitual and embedded norms and traditions indicative of a macroculture. Syndication and social and professional relations facilitate the development of shared decision-making frameworks. Using a four step methodology and a unique dataset of 139VC decisions and 82 independent VC assessments of those decisions, we find that the VC industry exhibits collective investment decision-making preferences, reflecting normative rationality. We offer implications for theory, practice, and future research.     

The informational basis of entrepreneurial discovery

Scholars have identified four different roles played by entrepreneurs in the discovery of new venture opportunities. What each of these roles has in common is that the discovery process consists of the acquisition of specific, risk-reducing information. Uncertain returns from such investments deter some would-be entrepreneurs from making discoveries. This approach suggests that the vision to make entrepreneurial discoveries depends on making cost-effective informational investments, not on special talents possessed by only a few aspirants.     

RISK AVOIDANCE STRATEGIES IN VENTURE CAPITAL MARKETS

This research compares risk avoidance strategies employed by business angels and venture capital firm investors. It finds that differences in their approaches to evaluating risk lead them to hold predictably different views of the dangers of market and agency risk. the former tend to rely upon the entrepreneur to protect them from losses due to market risk. Consequently, they are more concerned with agency risk than market risk. the latter are more concerned with market risk because they have learned to protect themselves contractually from agency risk using boilerplate contractual terms and conditions. A likely result of their different approaches to avoiding risk is a segmentation of venture capital markets, which has important implications for both entrepreneurs and future research.     

New CEOs Pursue Their Own Self-Interests by Sacrificing Stakeholder Value

Short-term performance increases that are sometimes observed after CEO successions may be evidence of self-interested behavior. New CEOs may cut allocations to long-term investment areas such as research and development (R&D), capital equipment and pension funds in an effort to drive up short-term profits and secure their positions. However, such actions have unfavorable consequences for some stakeholders. This study provides evidence that both R&D and pension funding are reduced subsequent to a succession, even after accounting for industry trends. The expected short-term profitability increases are also observed.A major implication of these results is that boards of directors and other interested parties should carefully monitor the actions of new CEOs with regard to their treatment of R&D and pension funding if they would like to prevent such actions from occurring. This study also highlights the need to investigate other potential self-interested behaviors of new CEOs.     

Entrepreneurial Discovery as Constrained,Sytematic Search

This research uses a randomized, two-sample, post-test experiment to pit the alertness perspective against a new approach for searching systematically for venture ideas to create new wealth. The new approach uses self-selected consideration sets to constrain an entrepreneur’s search domain, which makes it possible to maximize the search results. The constrained domain conforms to the behavior of repeat entrepreneurs who do not search the whole world for venture ideas. Subjects in the treatment group were successful 60% of the time compared with 6.25% success rate for the control group. Fourteen percent of control group emulated the treatment group without receiving instructions to do so.