Venture Capital and Innovation in Europe

This paper examines the direction of causality between Venture Capital (VC) and innovation (proxied by patents) in Europe. We test whether causality runs from patents to VC by estimating a linear dynamic panel model and causality from VC to patents by estimating a panel count model. Evidence from a European sample indicates that causality runs from patents to VC suggesting that, in Europe, innovation seems to create a demand for VC and not VC a supply of innovation. In this sense, innovative ideas seem to lack more than funds in Europe