With an overall lack of gender and ethnic diversity in the innovation sector documented in Gompers and Wang (2017), we ask the natural next question: Does increased diversity lead to better firm performances? In this paper, we attempt to answer this question using a unique dataset of the gender...

I study the role of accounting and financial reporting in entrepreneurial finance by examining whether financial statement disclosure increases capital raised through equity crowdfunding. On average, I find a positive association between financial reporting and capital raised, suggesting that...

This paper uses real options analysis to study later round financing in the presence of two standard venture capital contracting provisions: anti-dilution (ratchet) and liquidation preference. We argue that such provisions can preclude financing of a positive NPV venture in the case of a large...

Recent years have seen an upsurge of novel sources of new venture financing through crowdfunding (CF). We draw on 54,943 successfully crowdfunded projects and 3,313 venture capital (VC) investments throughout the period 04/2012-06/2015 to investigate, on the aggregate level, how crowdfunding is...

This paper investigates whether gender, age, ethnicity, and geography affect the choice of equity crowdfunding offerings vs initial public offerings (IPO) on traditional stock markets and whether these characteristics increase the likelihood of a successful offering. Using 167 equity offerings...

Policy-makers expect equity crowdfunding to democratize entrepreneurial finance, by providing access to funding to underrepresented groups of potential entrepreneurs. This paper investigates whether gender, age, ethnicity, and geography affect the choice of equity crowdfunding offerings vs...

This paper investigates the differences in the return generating process of venture capital-backed firms and their peers that operate without venture capital financing. Using a unique hand-picked database of 990 venture capital-backed Belgian firms and a complete population of Belgian SMEs, we...

The Internet has long promised the democratization of entrepreneurial finance by disintermediation of the interaction between those who want to invest money and those who need it. Equity crowdfunding platforms are one such mechanism. Using a sample of 58 equity offerings of UK crowdfunding...

The market for small-firm funds is constantly in flux. Imbalances in both the supply and the demand for capital can trace either to the flow of funds or to the flow of available deals. The legal environment can and does change, and can sometimes drive temporary supply and demand imbalances....