Publications

May 2012 (Revised October 2012)
Supplement

H-Soft (B-2): Vikram Sharma

By: Ramana Nanda

Siddharth Kapoor, the Founder and CEO of H-Soft Mumbai, reflected on his meetings as he walked out of VC Ventures' offices in Mumbai. After a few months of intensely pitching his startup to several different investors, he finally had a term sheet in hand. Despite this... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Venture Capital Term Sheet; India; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Venture Capital; Investment; Contracts; Partners and Partnerships; India

April 1999 (Revised November 1999)
Case

Adams Capital Management: March 1999

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Bill Wasik

On February 24, 1999, the advisory board of Adams Capital Management convened for its quarterly meeting at the firm's headquarters. One point on the agenda: whether or not to proceed with due diligence on an investment in Three Points, a maker of Internet-based team... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Systems; Investment; Goals and Objectives; Financial Services Industry

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17 Nov 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Venture Capitalists and COVID-19

Keywords: by Paul A. Gompers, Will Gornall, Steven N. Kaplan, and Ilya A. Strebulaev; Financial Services

03 Apr 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Bridge Building in Venture Capital-Backed Acquisitions

Keywords: by Paul A. Gompers & Yuhai Xuan

1997
Chapter

Resource Allocation, Incentives, and Control: The Importance of Venture Capital in Financing Entrepreneurial Firms

By: P. A. Gompers

Keywords: Venture Capital; Resource Allocation; Motivation and Incentives; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Corporate Governance

July 2019
Teaching Note

Arlan Hamilton and Backstage Capital

By: Laura Huang

Teaching Note for HBS No. 419-029. Frustrated by an inability to convince existing venture capital firms to invest in companies led by women, people of color, and LGBT founders, Arlan Hamilton started her own firm, Backstage Capital, in 2015. Hamilton understood the... View Details

Keywords: Black Leadership; LGBTQ; People Of Color; Entrepreneurship; Mission and Purpose; Venture Capital; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Identity; Personal Characteristics; Prejudice and Bias; Social Issues; Diversity; Gender; Race

2020
Working Paper

Venture Capitalists and COVID-19

By: Paul A. Gompers, Will Gornall, Steven N. Kaplan and Ilya A. Strebulaev

We survey over 1,000 institutional and corporate venture capitalists (VCs) at more than 900 different firms to learn how their decisions and investments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We compare their survey answers to those provided by a large sample of... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Health Pandemics; Investment; Decision Making; Surveys

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17 Mar 2022
News

Venture Capital & Angel Investing - What We Know and Still Need to Learn

Keywords: Angel investing

February 2012
Case

FirstMark Capital

By: Paul Gompers and J. Daniel Kim

Keywords: Venture Capital

07 Jan 2019
News

One Lesson Led This Entrepreneur To Raise $90 Million From The Top Venture Capital Firms

Keywords: Real Estate

March 2015
Background Note

Equity Compensation in Startup Ventures

By: Ramana Nanda, Robert White and Stephanie Puzio

Setting equitable and "market" level compensation for founders and early employees of startups is one of the most important elements of a new venture. It is not only central to attract and retain the best human capital for the startup, but is critical to align... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Equity; Finance; Entrepreneurship

April 2023
Case

Drive Capital: A New Road for Venture

By: Paul A. Gompers and Alicia Dadlani

Founded by two former Sequoia Capital partners, Columbus-Ohio-based Drive Capital’s mission was to build a world-class venture capital firm in the middle of the U.S., an area historically overlooked by VCs. Drive faced early challenges of attracting investors, sourcing... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States; Ohio

1999
Other Unpublished Work

Ownership and Control in Entrepreneurial Firms: An Examination of Convertible Securities in Venture Capital Investment

By: Paul A. Gompers

Keywords: Business Startups; Ownership; Management; Debt Securities; Venture Capital

March 2021
Teaching Plan

The Black New Venture Competition

By: Karen G. Mills, Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Martin A. Sinozich and Gabriella Elanbeck

Black entrepreneurs encounter many unique obstacles when raising capital to start and grow a business, some stemming from deep systemic discrimination. During their second year at Harvard Business School (HBS), MBA students Kimberly Foster and Tyler Simpson decided to... View Details

March 2006 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Village Ventures

By: Noam T. Wasserman, G. Felda Hardymon, Christopher Rogers and Ann Leamon

Matt Harris, general partner and founder of Village Ventures, a nationwide umbrella organization for VC firms in secondary cities, is about to negotiate with the general partner of one of the organization's most successful funds. Describes the costs and benefits of the... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Relationships; United States

October 2000
Case

New Schools Venture Fund

By: Jeffrey L. Bradach and Nicole Tempest

A new approach to philanthropy, led by venture capitalists and the "new wealth" has emerged in the last two years. They are applying the same accountability criteria from results as they would with their investment portfolio. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

2010
Book

Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang

An essential, insider's guide to the secrets of the world of venture capital, written by one of the few people who have played on both sides of this high-stakes game. In it, you will find detailed insights, colorful stories, and practical advice gathered from... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Venture Capital; Initial Public Offering; Personal Development and Career

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