Effect of private equity minority stake deals on financial network of SMEs. Evidence from Italy

The Paper presents the results of an empirical and qualitative research carried out to study the effect of deals involving private equity funds on the financial network of Small Medium Entities (SMEs). Through direct interviews and questionnaires, a sample of 17 Italian deals during the period 2005-2006 has been selected primarily to know about (i) the effect a deal with a private equity fund produces on financial network of SMEs (ii) the innovative value indicators these funds have introduced for monitoring the activities to boost the network of financial partners of SMEs while operating and managing their business