Publications

September 1998 (Revised May 2011)
Background Note

Note on Private Equity Information Sources

By: Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

Provides an overview of key information sources about venture capital and private equity. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Investment; Knowledge Acquisition

03 Jun 2021
Blog Post

HBS Pilots First Impact Investing Fund

to be overleveraged, making equity investments a viable option. However, as part of our mission to support BIPOC wealth generation, we are cautious not to dilute the founder’s stake. As such, we have also... View Details

January 2008
Article

Venture Capital Investment Cycles: The Impact of Public Markets

By: Paul Gompers, Anna Kovner, Josh Lerner and David Scharfstein

It is well documented that the venture capital industry is highly volatile and that much of this volatility is associated with shifting valuations and activity in public equity markets. This paper examines how changes in public market signals affected venture capital... View Details

Keywords: Market Cycles; Venture Capital; Investment; Experience and Expertise; Public Equity; Volatility; Financial Services Industry

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18 Oct 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Monetary Policy Drivers of Bond and Equity Risks

Keywords: by John Y. Campbell, Carolin E. Pflueger & Luis M. Viceira

17 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Going the Distance for Investment Excellence

financial analyst position with Goldman Sachs in mortgage trading and investment banking—but not until first earning a GMAT score he felt would later secure his acceptance at HBS. “In those seven weeks after graduation I did little but... View Details

22 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

disadvantaged geographies and nascent industries, and they exhibit more risk tolerance and patience. However, the authors also find employee satisfaction tends to decline once an impact investment is made. “In their mind, if they give a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

2020
Working Paper

How Do Private Equity Fees Vary Across Public Pensions?

By: Juliane Begenau and Emil Siriwardane

We study how investment fees vary within private-capital funds. Net-of-fee return clustering suggests that most funds have two tiers of fees, and we decompose differences across tiers into both management and performance-based fees. Managers of venture capital funds... View Details

Keywords: Pension Funds; Fee Dispersion; Search And Negotiation Frictions; Private Equity; Investment Funds

SSRN

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June 2009
Teaching Note

Negotiating Equity Splits at UpDown (TN)

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Deepak Malhotra

Teaching Note for [809020]. View Details

Keywords: Equity; Agreements and Arrangements; Investment; Groups and Teams; Entrepreneurship; Contracts; Ownership Stake

February 2003 (Revised March 2011)
Background Note

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Valuation and Distribution in Private Equity

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

Introduces the issues attendant to valuing privately held portfolios and distributing thinly traded stock. Although they have existed since the beginning of the formal venture capital industry, they have received increasing amounts of attention as the money invested in... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Stocks; Investment Portfolio; Valuation; Financial Services Industry

June 2021
Article

Short-Termism, Shareholder Payouts, and Investment in the EU

By: Jesse M. Fried and Charles C.Y. Wang

Investor-driven "short-termism" is said to harm EU public firms' ability to invest for the long term, prompting calls for the EU to better insulate managers from shareholder pressure. But the evidence offered—rising levels of repurchases and dividends—is incomplete and... View Details

Keywords: Short-termism; EU; Payout Policy; Innovation; Investment; Corporate Governance; Investment Return; Acquisition; European Union

SSRN

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September 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Case

The Abraaj Group and the Acibadem Healthcare Investment (A)

By: Paul A. Gompers, Bora Uluduz and Firdevs Abacioglu

This case concerns the proposed buyout of Acibadem, a leading hospital chain in Turkey. Abraaj, a MENA region private equity firm, proposes to make its first investment in Turkey. The case highlights the role of Turkish health care reform in driving the value. The... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Leveraged Buyouts; Private Equity; Health Care and Treatment; Europe

February 2001
Article

The Portfolio Flows of International Investors

By: K. A. Froot, P. O'Connell and M. Seasholes

Keywords: Asset Pricing; Equity Investment; Forecasting and Prediction; Behavioral Finance; Stocks; Investment Return; Market Transactions; Performance Expectations; Personal Characteristics; Financial Services Industry

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October 2016 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Misaki Capital and Sangetsu Corporation

By: Ian Gow, Charles C.Y. Wang, Naoko Jinjo and Nobuo Sato

Japan’s corporate culture has traditionally prioritized the interests of stakeholders such as customers, employees, and suppliers over those of shareholders. After a decades-long economic slump, Japan’s government has revitalized efforts to improve corporate governance... View Details

Keywords: Activist Investing; Constructivist Investing; Japan; Valuation; Stock Screens; Return On Equity; Investment; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Governance; Financial Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Japan

Web

Research Design - Impact Investments

documentation of data on the activities of impact investors and the social impact of private equity to the greater community of researchers and practitioners. Diane Burton et al., “The Project on Impact Investments’ Impact View Details

January 1994 (Revised April 2011)
Background Note

Note on Private Equity Partnership Agreements

By: Josh Lerner

Venture capital by necessity is a long-run investment. Consequently, since the mid-1960s virtually all venture financing has been raised through private partnerships with a ten-year or longer life span. To govern these investments, complex contracts have sprung up... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Investment; Governance; Contracts; Partners and Partnerships

18 Nov 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Payout Taxes and the Allocation of Investment

Keywords: by Bo Becker, Marcus Jacob & Martin Jacob

October 2012 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Altoona State Investment Board: July 2012

By: Josh Lerner and Nathaniel Burbank

Considers the decision faced by state pension fund manager Rod Calhoun as he decides whether to invest $200 million in Bain Capital's eleventh global buyout fund: Bain Capital Fund XI. For the fund, Bain was offering its limited partners a choice between three... View Details

Keywords: Management Fees; Bain Capital; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts; Banking Industry; Boston

13 Nov 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Long-Run Returns to Impact Investing in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies

Keywords: by Shawn Cole, Martin Melecky, Florian Mölders, and Tristan Reed; Financial Services

September 2011
Case

AXA Private Equity: The Diana Investment

By: Michael J. Roberts and William A. Sahlman

The case focuses on an investment made by AXA Private Equity, a French manufacturer of food ingredients. The investment is made at the height of the financial markets, and financed with significant debt. Soon thereafter, the financial crisis impacted the company's... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Ethics; Investment; Financial Crisis