Over the past ten years, private equity and venture capital have played an increasingly important role in the European economy. In parallel to the increase in investments, contribution of the private equity and venture capital industry to employment in Europe has grown.Against this background,...

The U.S. entrepreneurial finance market has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Entrepreneurs raising their first round of venture capital retain 30% more equity in their firm and are more likely to control their board of directors. Late-stage startups are raising larger amounts of...

In this paper we investigate the risk return relationship of Private Equity (PE) relative to Public Market Equity (PM) investments to assess the adequateness of PEs return premium. We analyze cash flows of PE projects gross of fees and any other externalities. Our analysis is based on simulated...

In this paper we show how cross-sectional correlations between Private Equity (PE) and Public Market Equity (PM) returns can be approximated, resolving the lack of time series PE data. Based on a sample comprising 2,380 realized PE projects, we observe low crosssectional correlations between PE...

The impact of private equity firms on employment in their portfolio companies is a controversial topic widely discussed in academia and in practice in recent years. A large body of research has resulted from this debate. The studies are focused on different aspects of employment and are based on...

This paper extends research in the field of private equity investments in family firms. It contributes to the literature by fundamentally analyzing the decision criteria of family firm owners for using minority investments of private equity investors. This type of financing might be of great...

We compare the characteristics of conglomerates and private equity entities. This is done by examining the differences among their business models. We analyze the relations of the two entity types to their investors on the one hand and to their investments on the other hand. The distinguishing...

This paper is the first systematic analysis of the impact of diversificationon the performance of private equity funds. A unique data set allows theexact evaluation of diversification across the dimensions financing stages,industries, and countries. Very different levels of diversification can...

The paper offers a new explanation for the widely observed use of redeemable and convertible preferred stock in venture capital finance. Redeemable and convertible preferred stocks can be used to endogenously allocate cash flow and control rights as a function of the state of nature, the...

This paper investigates how patent applications and grants held by new ventures improve their abilityto attract venture capital (VC) financing. We argue that investors are faced with considerable uncertaintyand therefore rely on patents as signals when trying to assess the prospects of potential...