Publications

1999
Book

The Venture Capital Cycle

By: P. Gompers and J. Lerner

Keywords: Venture Capital

April 2023
Technical Note

Venture Capital Firms: What Drives Success?

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

With the rapid growth of venture capital (“VC”) in recent decades, we might wonder: who succeeds at VC and why? This is a complicated question, as many factors come into play. VC partnerships are comprised of individual investors with varying backgrounds, experiences,... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Success

October 1996 (Revised April 2011)
Module Note

Venture Capital and Private Equity: Module III

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

Provides an overview of a module that focuses on existing venture capital and other private equity investments. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Investment

October 1995
Exercise

Venture Capital Method - Valuation Problem Set

By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower

Presents a short problem set designed as an introduction to the venture capital method of problem solving. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Valuation

Article

The Venture Capital Revolution

By: Paul A. Gompers and J. Lerner

Keywords: Venture Capital

27 Jul 2021
Video

Venture Capital Industry Spotlight

Article

Specialization and Success: Evidence from Venture Capital

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

This paper examines how organizational structure affects behavior and outcomes, studying the performance of different types of venture capital organizations. We find a strong positive relationship between the degree of specialization by individual venture capitalists... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Venture Capital; Organizational Structure; Outcome or Result; Performance Effectiveness; Behavior; Financial Services Industry

Program

Private Equity and Venture Capital

venture capital fields, our foundational investment program, Foundations of Private Equity and Venture Capital, may be more appropriate. The programs are not intended to be... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Finance

26 Jan 2004
Research & Ideas

How Women Can Get More Venture Capital

recently sat down with HBS Working Knowledge to share her latest thinking. Her new book, Clearing the Hurdles, co-written with Candida G. Brush, Nancy M. Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, and Patricia G. Greene, will be out in May 2004 from Prentice Hall. HBS Working... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark & Martha Lagace

Web

Venture Capital Advisors - Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs-In-Residence Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Venture Capital Advisors Lawyers-in-Residence Rock Executive Fellows Venture Capital... View Details

winter 2000
Article

Assessing the Impact of Venture Capital to Innovation

By: Samuel Kortum and Josh Lerner

We examine the influence of venture capital on patented inventions in the United States across twenty industries over three decades. We address concerns about causality in several ways, including exploiting a 1979 policy shift that spurred venture capital fundraising.... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Innovation and Invention

Read Now

16 May 2020
Interview

Agile in Venture Capital

By: Euvin Naidoo

June 2018
Exercise

Venture Capital Term Sheets

By: Ramana Nanda, William A. Sahlman and Robert White

2023
Working Paper

Learning by Investing: Entrepreneurial Spillovers from Venture Capital

By: Josh Lerner, Jinlin Li and Tong Liu

This paper studies how investing in venture capital (VC) affects the entrepreneurial outcomes of individual limited partners (LPs). Using comprehensive administrative data on entrepreneurial activities and VC fundraising and investments in China, we first document that... View Details

Keywords: Partners and Partnerships; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Investment; China

Read Now

August 2001
Case

Chrysalis Capital: Venture Capital in an Emerging Market

Examines the founding and early development of an Indian venture capital firm. Focuses on the opportunity in the Indian high-technology sector, how the founders have adapted the U.S. venture capital model to an emerging market context, and the organizational challenges... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Emerging Markets; Technology Industry; India

February 1998
Background Note

Contracting and Control in Venture Capital

By: Paul A. Gompers

Discusses the control mechanisms and contracts utilized by venture capitalists. The emphasis is on understanding potential conflicts of interest and how the contracts mitigate those conflicts. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Governance Controls; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Conflict of Interests

October 1999 (Revised March 2000)
Background Note

Venture Capital Negotiations: VC versus Entrepreneur

By: Robert J. Robinson and Noam T. Wasserman

Introduces students to the challenging negotiations between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Explores interests, sources of negotiating power, barriers to reaching agreement, and common contractual terms. Describes how the parties try to reduce information... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Tactics; Venture Capital; Entrepreneurship; Financial Services Industry

September 2016 (Revised March 2021)
Case

DBL Partners: Double Bottom Line Venture Capital

By: Shawn Cole, Mark Kramer, Tony L. He, Anshul Maudar and T. Robert Zochowski

This case explores the origins and current practices of DBL, a San Francisco–based venture capital fund and one of the first impact investment funds to achieve significant financial returns to scale. This case allows for a competitive analysis of DBL's investment... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment Funds; Financial Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Tanzania

September 2024
Case

TechEnergy Ventures: Innovating Through Corporate Venture Capital

By: Rebecca Karp and Lena Duchene

This case examines TechEnergy Ventures, the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of the Techint Group, and its role in scaling innovation within the energy sector. Founded in 2021, TechEnergy Ventures operates with a mandate to invest in disruptive technologies to... View Details