Publications

02 Aug 2018
Blog Post

Venturing into VC

I’ve spent my summer as an MBA Associate at Victress Capital, an early-stage venture capital (VC) firm focused on achieving outsized returns through investing in diverse teams. I originally met our firm’s... View Details

October 2012
Teaching Plan

Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Venture Philanthropy Funding for Biotech (TP)

By: Robert F. Higgins

This is the teaching note related to HBS case 808005. In 2001, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated acquired the San Diego-based biotech company, Aurora Biosciences. The combination of Vertex's and Aurora's technologies would improve the flow of novel drug candidates... View Details

Keywords: Venture Philanthropy; Biotechnology; Funding Philanthropy Venture; Cystic Fibrosis; Foundations; Pharmaceuticals; Mergers and Acquisitions; For-Profit Firms; Venture Capital; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Science-Based Business; Nonprofit Organizations; Pharmaceutical Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States; San Diego

February 2023
Case

Kapor Capital

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Lindsay N. Hyde and Julia Kelley

Kapor Capital, a leading impact investment venture capital (VC) firm, is on the cusp of a generational transition. The two rising managing directors are about to take over the firm from the VC’s eponymous founders. How should they think about strategy, brand, and... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Operations; Business Startups; Financial Services Industry; United States

January 1999
Article

An Analysis of Compensation in the U.S. Venture Capital Partnership

By: Paul Gompers and Josh Lerner

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Venture Capital; Partners and Partnerships; United States

Find at Harvard

26 Oct 2001
Conference Presentation

Venture Capital Access in the New Economy: Is Gender an Issue?

By: Myra M. Hart, Candida Brush, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood and Patricia Greene

Keywords: Venture Capital; Gender; Economy

August 2007 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Pinnacle Ventures

By: Michael J. Roberts, William A. Sahlman and Elizabeth Kind

Describes a prospective "venture debt" loan to a new venture from the perspective of Patrick Lee, a principal at Pinnacle Ventures. Forces students to grapple with the nature of financial risk in the start-up firm and assess the prospective risks and returns to a... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Venture Capital; Investment Return; Business Startups; Financial Services Industry

July 2004 (Revised December 2004)
Case

How Venture Capitalists Evaluate Potential Venture Opportunities

By: Michael J. Roberts and Lauren Barley

Four venture capitalists from leading Silicon Valley firms are interviewed about the frameworks they use to evaluate potential venture opportunities. Questions include: How do you evaluate the venture's prospective business model? What due diligence do you conduct?... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Opportunities; Framework; Entrepreneurship; Forecasting and Prediction

March 2014
Module Note

The Impact of Waves in Venture Capital and Private Equity

By: Matthew Rhodes-Kropf

September 2022
Teaching Note

Yinglan Tan: Scaling a Venture Capital Firm in Southeast Asia

By: Josh Lerner

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 823-025. View Details

2015
Working Paper

Organizational Decision-Making and Information: Angel Investments by Venture Capital Partners

By: Andy Wu

Read Now

21 Dec 2018
Podcast

25. Getting the Categories Right: Applying theories to Venture Capital

Just what is the job of an investor? Forum member Curtis Arledge talks to Nate Redmond, Managing Partner at Alpha Edison, about adapting to changes within Venture Capital and the role of the investor. Nate explains his application of BSSE theories to locating and... View Details

March 2014
Module Note

The Venture Capital and Private Equity Investing Simulation: The Concepts

By: Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and Nathaniel Burbank

01 Sep 2011
News

Using Venture Capital to Build Companies and Save the World

19 Sep 2012
News

The Venture Capital Secret: 3 Out of 4 Start-Ups Fail

22 Jun 2009
News

Q&A; With Harvard's Josh Lerner On State Of Venture Capital

2004
Other Unpublished Work

The Role of Venture Capital in the Acquisition of Private Companies

By: P. Gompers and Yuhai Xuan

Keywords: Venture Capital; Acquisition; Private Ownership

2003
Chapter

Venture Capital Access in The New Economy: Is Gender an Issue?

By: Candida G. Brush, Nancy M. Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia G. Greene and Myra M. Hart

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Venture Capital; Gender

2007
Other Paper

Venture Capital and Private Equity Distributions: Pricing Policies and Price Reactions

By: P. Gompers, Andrew Metrick and Timothy Dore