Publications

2017
Working Paper

The Right Mix: Angels, Venture Capitalists, and the Assembly of Entrepreneurial Resources

By: Benjamin Hallen and Rory McDonald

New ventures rely on external relationships for capital, knowledge, and networks. We examine how ventures assemble these resources—and whether they are all accessible from the same sources—in relationships with two types of investors: venture capital firms and angels.... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Venture Capital; Entrepreneurship

01 Oct 2019
News

Today’s venture capitalists owe something to 19th-century whalers

August 2000 (Revised July 2002)
Background Note

Fundamental Enterprise Valuation: Capital Expenditures (CAPEX)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

A technical note that defines capital expenditures (CAPEX). View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Business Ventures; Capital; Spending

May 2024
Supplement

Forest Park Capital (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

During the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, Betsy Harbison formed the search fund Forest Park Capital with the intention of purchasing a small business. The case conveys the details of Betsy’s final decision at the terminus of her search, between a software company... View Details

Keywords: Search Fund; Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition; Acquisition; Small Business; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Business Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Tourism Industry; Web Services Industry; North America; Missouri

18 Oct 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Venture Capital’s Disconnect with Clean Tech

MBA students often fall into one of two categories—those hungry to rush into careers as venture capitalists, and those eager to found a venture-funded start-up. For all of them, Harvard Business School professor Joseph Lassiter has some intriguing advice: Spend a few... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities; Financial Services

November 1986
Case

Plant Resources Venture Funds

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Venture Capital

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31 Mar 2025
News

MBAs Are Launching Venture Capital Funds to Back Their Classmates. Now, Harvard Business School Has One, Too.

December 2009
Case

Milliway Capital & Martin Smith: November 2008

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and Ann Leamon

Martin Smith, a recent MBA graduate, has just joined a top-tier venture capital firm in the difficult environment of late 2008. One of his first assignments is to review three companies in a partner's portfolio and recommend strategies for managing them. In addition,... View Details

Keywords: Investment Portfolio; Financial Management; Private Equity; Business Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Venture Capital; Business or Company Management

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01 Mar 2006
News

Venture Capital, Post-Dot Bomb

At Cyberposium, a student-run technology conference held last November at the School, HBS professor Bill Sahlman sparked a frank discussion on the current climate for venture capital investing. “In the... View Details

Keywords: Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Finance

April 2000 (Revised May 2000)
Case

Hotbank: Softbank's New Business Model for Early Stage Venture Incubation

Softbank Venture Capital (SBVC) has established a business incubator, Hotbank. Ellen Levy, a "Netbatsu Development Officer" with SBVC, is faced with a decision about which relationships among Hotbank/SBVC portfolio companies to facilitate. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups

01 Jun 2017
News

The Exchange: Venture Forth

illustration by Peter Arkle When Professor Paul Gompers began studying the venture capital industry in the late 1980s, colleagues often wondered why. “They’d say that it’s such a backwater and unimportant... View Details

Keywords: April White

23 Apr 2019
Video

AlmaPact Final Pitch New Venture Competition 2019 Business Track

October 1998
Case

Farallon Capital Management: Risk Arbitrage (C)

By: Andre F. Perold and Robert Howard

Farallon Capital Management, an investment firm that specializes in risk arbitrage, has taken significant long and short positions in MCI Communications and British Telecommunications, respectively, in the belief that the proposed merger of these firms will be... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Equity; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Institutions; Risk Management; Investment Funds; Financial Services Industry

January 2023
Case

Clay Ridge Capital

By: Martin A. Sinozich and William R. Kerr

Kel Jackson, with the support of his young family, has been searching for a manufacturing business to purchase. After a long process, Kel had submitted a written offer to buy Sheetfab that matched his original conversation with the owner, but a broker Kel had never met... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Small Business; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry

2006
Working Paper

Skill vs. Luck in Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital: Evidence from Serial Entrepreneurs

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

This paper argues that a large component of success in entrepreneurship and venture capital can be attributed to skill. We show that entrepreneurs with a track record of success are more likely to succeed than first time entrepreneurs and those who have previously... View Details

Keywords: Return On Investment; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Success; Experience and Expertise

Read Now

14 Oct 2020
Blog Post

Creating the Minority Renaissance for Venture Capital: Interview with Henri Pierre-Jacques and Jarrid Tingle, Managing Partners at Harlem Capital

minorities are able to get on and stay on the path to senior leadership, Tingle and Pierre-Jacques connected with friends who shared their passion for investing. Their group of six, including co-founder and current Harlem Capital View Details

February 2004
Case

Succession Capital Corporation

In 2003, a small buyout company in Canada was deciding which company to purchase next. This case explores the challenges facing a young entrepreneur in the process of selecting a new acquisition when financial and human resources are constrained. View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Finance; Canada

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March 2011 (Revised April 2018)
Case

1366 Technologies: Scaling the Venture

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Ramana Nanda, David Kiron and Evan Richardson

For some time, 1366's co-founders, Frank van Mierlo and Ely Sachs, had faced a choice, which was now made all the more stark: 1366 could expand to produce silicon wafers itself, raising the required capital from "friendly" investors and building shipment volume slowly,... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Innovation Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Intellectual Property; Management Teams; Renewable Energy; Financial Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Finance; Energy Industry; Technology Industry; United States