While previous papers have characterized various features of the financial contracts between entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, little is known about how the equity contracts evolve over the life of new ventures. Using the novel data set containing financial contract terms applying to...

This paper analyzes valuation dynamics of ‘Unicorn' companies, that is, privately held and venture capital-backed companies with a valuation of at least $1 billion. In recent years, Unicorns have received substantial investments from U.S. mutual funds, whose public reporting allows for rare...

In private equity, General Partners (GPs) may receive fee payments from companies whose board they control. This paper describes the related contracts and shows that these fee payments sum up to $20 billion evenly distributed over the last twenty years, representing over 6% of the equity...

In private equity, General Partners (GPs) may receive fee payments from companies whose board they control. This paper describes the related contracts and shows that these fee payments sum up to $20 billion evenly distributed over the last twenty years, representing over 6% of the equity...

How do singular landmark M&A deals with seemingly excessive valuation and high public visibility influence M&A markets? We analyze how M&A market activity and deal characteristics behave in the presence of these landmark deals. Our results show that both valuation levels and M&A activity are...

We analyze how private equity funds sell down their stakes in companies they take public. The average duration of post-IPO holdings is 3 years, whereas lockups expire after 6 months. PE-backed IPOs perform well during the lockup, but we find no evidence that GPs add value for investors through...

This paper analyzes the influence Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs) have on the operating performance of the LBO target companies' direct competitors. A unique and hand-collected data set on LBOs in the United States in the period 1985-2009 allows us to analyze the effects different restructuring...

The presented study shows how Bain Capital and other Buyout Investment Firms applied Dividend Recap Schemes to financially benefit from their portfolio companies. The so generated distributions represented a large portion of the overall financial success from these investments. Although these...

The presented study shows how Bain Capital and other Buyout Investment Firms applied Dividend Recap Schemes to financially benefit from their portfolio companies. The so generated distributions represented a large portion of the overall financial success from these investments. Although these...

This paper analyzes the influence a bank's corporate governance structure has on its risk taking. To do so, the paper specifically looks at illiquidity and insolvency risk, as measured by a bank's liquidity creation and its margin between interest income from loans and interest expenses on...