Venture capitalists investing in U.S. startups typically receive preferred stock and extensive control rights. Various explanations for each of these arrangements have been offered. However, scholars have failed to notice that when combined these arrangements result in a highly unusual corporate...

We present a model of succession in a firm owned and managed by its founder. The founder decides between hiring a professional manager or leaving management to his heir, as well as on how much, if any, of the shares to float on the stock exchange. We assume that a professional is a better...

We examine the effect of trust in venture capital. Our theory predicts a positive relationship of trust with investment, but a negative relationship with success. Using a hand-collected dataset of European venture capital deals, we find that the Eurobarometer measure of trust among nations...

In most VC-backed firms neither the entrepreneurs nor the VC investors control the board. Instead control is typically shared with a mutually appointed independent director holding the tie-breaking seat. Contract theory, which treats control as an indivisible right held by one party, does not...

Incomplete contracting theory suggests that VC cash flow rights - including liquidation preferences - may be subject to renegotiation. Using a hand-collected dataset of sales of Silicon Valley firms, we find common shareholders do sometimes receive payment before VCs' liquidation preferences are...

We examine entrepreneurial activity following the staggered adoption of modern-day fraudulent transfer laws in the United States. These laws strengthen unsecured creditors' rights and are particularly important for entrepreneurs whose personal assets commingle with the firm's. Using...

We are witnessing a quiet but quick transformation of corporate governance. The rise of digital technologies and social media are forcing companies to reconsider how they organize themselves and structure firm governance. What is interesting is that the corporate governance discussions haven't...

German Abstract: Crowdinvesting eröffnet für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen neue digitale Perspektiven der Projektfinanzierung. Seit dem Start der ersten deutschen Crowdinvesting-Plattformen wächst das vermittelte Volumen und damit auch die Bandbreite der angebotenen...

With a market share of 76.2 percent of the total German crowdfunding market with monetary consideration (German: Crowd-investing), real estate projects make up the largest part by far. Only a significantly smaller portion is used for classic start-up finance. The volume brokered, and the number...