Intellectual property protection mechanisms (IPPMs) are critical to fostering innovation and their relevance has grown enormously with the increased trade in goods and services involving intellectual property. Scholars have investigated what factors facilitate or hinder the use of such IP...

This dissertation sheds light on how the categorical fit between venture capitalists and startups affect the matching process before a funding round. The study uses market categories to measure new venture’s distinctiveness and the cultural distance between venture capitalists and new...