Graduation Year

Spring 2012

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Economics

Reader 1

Janet Kiholm Smith

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2012 Rosabella M. Magat

Abstract

While the importance of venture capital (VC) can be highlighted by policy goals outlined in the 'Lisbon agenda', the European VC industry remains nascent in comparison to the more sophisticated VC market in the US. Researchers have identified key determinants that foster VC success on a broad level, and have often identified syndication as an important factor of success. This paper seeks to understand the role of syndication on the VC-backed company's success. I take a novel departure from past research in this area in three ways 1) I measure performance from the perspective of the portfolio company, rather than the VC firm which invests in the company 2) I isolate syndication in the first financing round and 3) I utilize a logistical model as well as a simultaneous equation model for which I introduce an instrumental variable. I gather VC data for both Europe and the US from the VentureXpert database to test various hypotheses regarding syndication. The results are significant and provide evidence to support that syndication in the first financing round is associated with greater success in achieving IPO exit in both regions. This should encourage VC firms, VC-backed companies, and policymakers to increase the practice of VC syndication in early financing rounds, thereby providing access to greater long-term growth opportunities. This paper adds to the existing, but limited, literature base on cross-region venture capital syndication.

Comments

  • Robert Day School Prize for Best Senior Thesis in Economics and Finance

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