Publications

21 Feb 2023

The Value of an MBA in Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Venture Capital

Have you ever wondered what an MBA could do to help you accomplish your personal and professional goals? Join us to hear more about why an MBA degree can be of value to students interested in working in Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Venture... View Details

April 2023
Case

Elliott Management: Capital Allocation in Biopharma

By: Amitabh Chandra, Paul Clancy and Lauren Gunasti

The case explores the intersection of capital allocation and shareholder activism in the biopharmaceutical industry. As many biopharma companies face looming patent expirations for key medicines, the case asks the question of whether investing in R&D and M&A is an... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Strategy; Capital Allocation; Biopharmaceutical Industry; Shareholder Activism; Investment Activism; Resource Allocation; Research and Development; Business and Shareholder Relations; Corporate Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry

2007
Other Paper

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

By: P. Gompers, Andrew Metrick and Timothy Dore

27 Nov 2023
Podcast

Jeff Bussgang on the Rise of AI & Raising Venture Capital

This week on The Parlor Room, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Jeff Bussgang, a former entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, joins host Chris Linnane to discuss the rise of generative AI, why experimentation is vital to finding product-market fit, and how to... View Details

2007
Other Unpublished Work

Positions of Power and Status: Reciprocity in the Venture Capital Industry

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski

This paper proposes a straightforward way of differentiating between central network positions that confer power from those that confer status. I argue that actors achieve high status by receiving numerous exchanges from actors who receive numerous exchanges from... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Power and Influence; Opportunities; Status and Position

Read Now

June 2014
Teaching Note

Intuit Inc.: Project AgriNova

By: Thomas Eisenmann

In late 2008, a team from Intuit's office in Bangalore, India, is evaluating an opportunity to launch a new venture that would use SMS to deliver crop price information to farmers in India. The case describes the structure of Indian agriculture and the problems... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Venturing; Entrepreneurship; Research; Business Ventures; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Information Technology Industry; Bangalore

Teaching Interest

Launching New Ventures

By: Rembrand M. Koning

The early days of a new venture demand a combination of strategy, vision, and impeccable timing to capitalize on market opportunities and establish a successful business.

Launching New Ventures delves into the core elements of entrepreneurship and building... View Details

November 2016
Article

Corporate Sustainability: First Evidence on Materiality

By: Mozaffar Khan, George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon

Using newly available materiality classifications of sustainability topics, we develop a novel dataset by hand-mapping sustainability investments classified as material for each industry into firm-specific sustainability ratings. This allows us to present new evidence... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Investments; Corporate Social Responsibility; Accounting; Corporate Reporting; Regulation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Investment; Corporate Governance

June 2025
Case

Bessemer Venture Partners (2025)

By: Jo Tango and Srimayi Mylavarapu

Bessemer Venture Partners, one of the oldest venture capital firms in the United States, had long been known for its decentralized culture and thesis-driven investing. An internal debate had surfaced around the firm’s approach to seed-stage investing. With competitors... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Competition

March 2023 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Wilshire Lane Capital

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Lindsay N. Hyde and Stacy Straaberg

In September 2021, Adam Demuyakor (MBA 2017) was faced with decisions about how to launch his venture capital (VC) investment firm. His previous investment activities were a series of angel investments and special purpose vehicles alongside two part-time general... View Details

Keywords: Ownership Stake; Investment Funds; Venture Capital; Business and Shareholder Relations; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry; Los Angeles; California; United States

January 1998
Article

Risk Management, Capital Budgeting and Capital Structure Policy for Financial Institutions: An Integrated Approach

By: K. A. Froot and J. Stein

Keywords: Catastrophe Risk; Corporate Finance; Cost Of Capital; Banking And Insurance; Asset Pricing; Hedging; Banking; Decision Choice And Uncertainty; Financial Markets; Insurance; Policy; Risk Management; Natural Disasters; Insurance Industry

Find at Harvard

6 Jul 2021
Interview

Best Buy's Hubert Joly on Walking the Talk of Stakeholder Capitalism

By: Hubert Joly and Alison Beard

Hubert Joly, former chairman and CEO of Best Buy, says that now is the time for companies to get serious about operating to benefit not just shareholders but also employees, customers and broader society. In the face of environmental crisis, racial turmoil, and rising... View Details

Keywords: Stakeholder Capitalism; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Mission and Purpose; Leadership; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact

June 2022 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Platinum Capital

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

How should a venture capital firm divide compensation and decision rights between its founders and its next-generation partners? Platinum Capital faced this decision in July 2020. Platinum’s younger partners had just requested a piece of the firm’s highly lucrative... View Details

Keywords: Decision Rights; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Compensation and Benefits; Governance; Retention; Negotiation; Partners and Partnerships

13 Jan 2022
News

Smart Judgment Will Outweigh Dumb Luck in the Venture Capital World

15 Feb 2022
News

How to Make Venture Capital Accessible for Black Founders: An Entrepreneur’s Dilemma

14 Jun 2022

Industry Spotlight: How HBS Helped Me with A Career in Venture Capital

Wonder what an MBA could do to help with your professional growth? Learn from Professor Jeff Bussgang and alumni how HBS helps prepare you for a career in Venture Capital. Our alumni panel will feature Joe Blair, Raviraj Jain, Britt... View Details

Fast Answer

How can I find socially responsible private equity or venture capital funds?

In Preqin: Click on the Search For tab in the menu bar. Click on Funds. Select ESG. In Capital IQ: Screen for Companies. Select Investment Type > PE/VC under Investment/Advisory Firms. Click on Add Criteria. Select Business... View Details

1998
Chapter

Capital Formation and Investment in Venture Markets: An Assessment of Market Imperfections

By: P. Gompers

Keywords: Capital Markets; Venture Capital; Investment