Publications

January 2003 (Revised June 2003)
Case

Adams Capital Management: March 2002

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

In March 2002, the five partners of Adams Capital Management (ACM), a venture capital firm investing in information technology telecommunications with $700 million under management, gathered to discuss whether they should change their strategy in view of the prolonged... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Venture Capital; Investment Portfolio; Business or Company Management; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry

December 2016
Simulation

Venture Capital and Private Equity Game

By: Matthew Rhodes-Kropf, Josh Lerner, G. Felda Hardymon and Nathaniel Burbank

The Venture Capital and Private Equity Simulation enables groups of students to play the role of either an early or later stage private equity firm. Within the simulation, students raise funds, search for companies to invest in, complete deals, and manage a portfolio... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity

2024
Working Paper

Catalysts for Climate Solutions: Corporate Responses to Venture Capital Financing of Climate-tech Startups

By: Shirley Lu, George Serafeim and Simon Xu

We study whether incumbent firms increase their product focus on climate solutions in response to venture capital (VC) financing of climate-tech startups. Using large language models to measure a firm's focus on climate solutions, we find that incumbents in similar... View Details

Keywords: Climate Finance; Climate Change; Technological Innovation; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Environmental Sustainability; Business Startups

SSRN

01 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

Does Market Capitalism Have a Future?

won the Cold War. Doesn't capitalism reign supreme in the 21st century? Looking forward, we certainly can see challenges that will have to be met. So on the occasion of the School's Centennial, we felt it... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

Research Summary

Strategic Human Capital

My research focuses on the links between managerial background, job attributes, organizational/firm characteristics, and firm performance. Broadly speaking, I am interested in how a manager's skills, knowledge, connections, experiences, and other attributes... View Details

June 2007 (Revised July 2007)
Case

Leslie Brinkman at Versutia Capital

By: Julie Battilana and Robert Steven Kaplan

Leslie Brinkman is the founder and CEO of a hedge fund, Genuity Capital. Leslie spent late 2002 and early 2003 assembling her team and launched the fund in early 2003. While the firm performed well during 2003 and 2004 (both in terms of returns and new assets), in 2005... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Organizational Design; Performance Improvement; Groups and Teams

July 2001
Background Note

Ethics in Venture Capital

By: Ashish Nanda

Discusses potential conflicts of interest that venture capitalists face in dealing with entrepreneurs. Critiques arguments that such conflicts are easily managed and unproblematic. Suggests four ways to address potential conflicts. View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Venture Capital; Ethics

Research Summary

The Future of Market Capitalism

By: Joseph L. Bower

In 2009 we are aware of the fragile state of our market system. But a careful examination of the long term prospects for the global economy reveal other problems that may destabilize the system that has created so much wealth in the period since the second world... View Details

Article

Raising Capital Requirements: At What Cost?

By: Malcolm Baker and Jeffrey Wurgler

Since the financial crisis, bank capital positions have improved considerably. However, calls for heightened capital requirements have not abated. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, Vice Chair Janet Yellen, and governors Daniel Tarullo and Jeremy Stein have all... View Details

Keywords: Laws and Statutes; Capital; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry

February 2018
Case

Root Capital and the Efficient Impact Frontier

By: Shawn Cole and Caitlin Reimers Brumme

In 2015 Root Capital, a pioneer in the impact investing space, began to explore how to more systematically integrate impact and financial management. After much deliberation, Root Capital landed on ex-ante rating system for any potential investment that produced a... View Details

Keywords: Measurement and Metrics; Investment; Finance; Performance Efficiency; Boston

2022
Working Paper

Capitalism and Global Governance in Business History: A Roundtable Discussion

By: Sabine Pitteloud, Grace Ballor, Patricia Clavin, Nicolás M. Perrone, Neil Rollings and Quinn Slobodian

This working paper brings together a diverse group of scholars to discuss the historiography of capitalism, business history and global governance and lay the foundations for further research in this area. Grace Ballor and Sabine Pitteloud open the discussion with a... View Details

Keywords: Capitalism; Business History; Multinational Corporation; Business And Government Relations; Business And Society; Business And The Environment; International Relations; Regulation; Business Interest Association; Lobbying; Private Governance; State-business Relations; Political Risk; Neo-Liberalism; Governance; Globalized Firms and Management; Government and Politics

SSRN

March 1980 (Revised October 1980)
Background Note

Financial Leverage, the Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Cost of Equity Capital

Demonstrates how the capital asset pricing model can be used to estimate the impact of financial leverage on the cost of equity capital. The levering and unlevering of betas are illustrated. Also presents a methodology for decomposing the cost of equity into its three... View Details

Keywords: Cost of Capital; Asset Pricing; Investment

2007
Other Unpublished Work

Wage Policies and Incentives to Invest in Firm-Specific Human Capital

By: George P. Baker and Cristian Voicu

Keywords: Human Capital; Wages; Investment; Motivation and Incentives

Article

Japan's 'Liberalized' Capital Market Is No Boon to Foreign Competitors

By: Amar Bhidé

Find at Harvard

20 Sep 2011
Working Paper Summaries

Sovereigns, Upstream Capital Flows and Global Imbalances

Keywords: by Laura Alfaro, Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Vadym Volosovych

2015
Working Paper

Integrated Reporting for a Re-Imagined Capitalism

By: Robert G. Eccles and Birgit Spiesshofer

An essential element of capitalism is corporate reporting. Today's capitalism is supported by financial reporting. Critics of today's capitalism argue that it is too short-term oriented and rewards companies for creating negative externalities. Integrated reporting can... View Details

Keywords: Integrated Reporting; Materiality; Securities And Exchange Commission; European Union; Information And Transformation Function; Integrated Corporate Reporting; United States; European Union

SSRN

Research Summary

Venture Capital Organizations and Entrepreneurial Finance

By: Paul A. Gompers

Paul A. Gompers is examining corporate control and governance issues in venture capital organizations and entrepreneurial firms in an effort to understand how their relationships with their investors affect the venture capitalists' investment decisions. Using... View Details

30 Jun 2020
Book

Capitalism Is More at Risk Than Ever

urge business leaders everywhere to seize this opportunity to rebuild public confidence in capitalism and its ability to function in a way that... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2016
Working Paper

Venture Capital Data: Opportunities and Challenges

By: Steven N. Kaplan and Josh Lerner

This paper describes the available data and research on venture capital investments and performance. We comment on the challenges inherent in those data and research as well as possible opportunities to do better. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Analytics and Data Science; Investment