Entrepreneurs' Access to Private Equity in China: The Role of Social Capital

Drawing on Social network theory, this article argues for enhancing effects of social capital of entrepreneurs on investment selection decisions of venture capitalists (to invest versus not to invest), and main effects of social capital on investment process decisions such as venture valuation, investment delivery speed and contractual warrants/provisions. The core idea of enhancing effects is that the presence of particularistic ties between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs will affect positively investment selection decisions of venture capitalists if only other main factors for investment making such as management team, industry, market attractiveness, proprietary technologies and products are perceived as strong by investors. The context of the study is People's Republic of China. The empirical data is composed of 158 venture capital investment decisions in Beijing and Shanghai. The main finding is that social capital is supplementary and additive to other investment determining factors such as project and team qualities at selection stage, and social capital is a main factor for investment process decisions once a venture has been selected for funding. The main theoretical implication is that social capital may affect outcome variables in interaction with other factors. The main practical implication for entrepreneurs is that social capital is probably necessary but insufficient for raising venture capital successfully.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39837/3/wp453.pd

Entrepreneurs' Access to Private Equity in China: The Role of Social Capital

Drawing on Social network theory, this article argues for enhancing effects of social capital of entrepreneurs on investment selection decisions of venture capitalists (to invest versus not to invest), and main effects of social capital on investment process decisions such as venture valuation, investment delivery speed and contractual warrants/provisions. The core idea of enhancing effects is that the presence of particularistic ties between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs will affect positively investment selection decisions of venture capitalists if only other main factors for investment making such as management team, industry, market attractiveness, proprietary technologies and products are perceived as strong by investors. The context of the study is People's Republic of China. The empirical data is composed of 158 venture capital investment decisions in Beijing and Shanghai. The main finding is that social capital is supplementary and additive to other investment determining factors such as project and team qualities at selection stage, and social capital is a main factor for investment process decisions once a venture has been selected for funding. The main theoretical implication is that social capital may affect outcome variables in interaction with other factors. The main practical implication for entrepreneurs is that social capital is probably necessary but insufficient for raising venture capital successfully.Social capital, private equity, entrepreneurship, China

The Use and Effect of Social Capital in New Venture Creation - Solo Entrepreneurs vs. New Venture Teams

This paper examines the use of social capital in the venture creation process. We compare solo entrepreneurs (n=182) and new venture teams (n=274) from a random sample of start-ups in innovative industries and test social capital use and its effects on firm performance. Our results reveal that solo entrepreneurs and new venture teams do not differ in their degree of use of social capital. However, there are differences in the determinants of social capital use in both groups. We find that weak ties assist solo entrepreneurs and have positive significant effects on new venture performance. For team start- ups, we find no direct effect of social capital. However, further tests indicate for teams that human capital variety positively moderates the effect of social capital on performance.Entrepreneurship, Nascent entrepreneurship, Social capital, Start-up teams, Entrepreneurial learning

The Social Capital of Venture Capitalists and Its Impact on the Funding of Start-Up Firms

How does the social capital of venture capitalists (VCs) affect the funding of start-ups? Extant entrepreneurship literature conceptualizes a substitute effect between the social and financial capital that new firms attain from their investors. On the contrary, by building on the rich social capital literature, we hypothesize a positive effect of VCs’ social capital, derived from past syndication, on the amount of money that start-ups receive. Specifically, we argue that both structural aspects of VCs’ social network, such as the number of connections and the spanning of structural holes, and relational aspects, such as the diversity of network partners’ attributes, provide VCs with superior access to information about current investment objects and opportunities to leverage them in the future, increasing their willingness to invest in these firms. Our empirical results, derived from a novel dataset containing more than 5,000 funding rounds in the Internet and IT sector, strongly confirm our hypotheses. Both structural and relational attributes of VCs’ syndication networks have a significant influence on the funds received by start-up firms, highlighting the importance of a social capital perspective on new venture funding. We discuss the implications of our findings for theories of venture capital and entrepreneurship, showing that the role and effect of VCs’ social capital on start-up firms is much more complex than previously argued in the literature.social networks;social capital;start-ups;venture capital;structural holes

Comparative social capital: Networks of entrepreneurs and investors in China and Russia

Most studies on entrepreneurs’ networks incorporate social capital and networks as independent variables that affect entrepreneurs’ actions and its outcomes. By contrast, this article examines social capital of the Chinese and Russian entrepreneurs and venture capitalists as dependent variables, and it examines entrepreneurs’ social capital from the perspectives of institutional theory and cultural theory. The empirical data are composed of structured telephone interviews with 159 software entrepreneurs, and the data of 124 venture capital decisions in Beijing and Moscow. The study found that social networks of the Chinese entrepreneurs are smaller in size, denser in structure, and more homogeneous in composition compared to networks of the Russian entrepreneurs due to the institutional and cultural differences between the two countries. Furthermore, the study revealed that dyadic (two-person) ties are stronger and interpersonal trust is greater in China than in Russia. The research and practical implications are discussed.Social capital, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, China and Russia.

Comparative social capital: Networks of entrepreneurs and investors in China and Russia

Most studies on entrepreneurs’ networks incorporate social capital and networks as independent variables that affect entrepreneurs’ actions and its outcomes. By contrast, this article examines social capital of the Chinese and Russian entrepreneurs and venture capitalists as dependent variables, and it examines entrepreneurs’ social capital from the perspectives of institutional theory and cultural theory. The empirical data are composed of structured telephone interviews with 159 software entrepreneurs, and the data of 124 venture capital decisions in Beijing and Moscow. The study found that social networks of the Chinese entrepreneurs are smaller in size, denser in structure, and more homogeneous in composition compared to networks of the Russian entrepreneurs due to the institutional and cultural differences between the two countries. Furthermore, the study revealed that dyadic (two-person) ties are stronger and interpersonal trust is greater in China than in Russia. The research and practical implications are discussed.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40169/3/wp783.pd

University Spin-off Fundraising: The Impact of Entrepreneurial Capabilities and Social Networks Of Founding Teams during Start-ups

University spin-offs have increasingly received attention from academia, governments, and policymakers in studying the financing policies, venture capital investment decision making, the roles of venture capitalist in the development of new ventures, and the contributions of entrepreneur’s social capital to the fundraising activities. However, the limited number of studies in understanding of the contribution made by the entrepreneurial capabilities and social networks of a founding team to its fundraising ability still remains, especially within university spin-off context. Employing resource-based view theory and social networks approach, this paper enriches the knowledge by exploring university spin-offs in Spain. The results of this study empirically demonstrate that by exploiting social networks a founding team can improve its entrepreneurial capabilities, which in turn enhance its fundraising ability

Network Triads: Transitivity, Referral and Venture Capital Decisions in China and Russia

This article examines effects of dyadic ties and interpersonal trust on referrals and investment decisions of venture capitalists in the Chinese and Russian contexts. The study uses the postulate of transitivity of social network theory as a conceptual framework. The findings reveal that referee-venture capitalist tie, referee-entrepreneur tie, and interpersonal trust between referee and venture capitalist have positive effects on referrals and investment decisions of venture capitalists. The institutional, social and cultural differences between China and Russia have minimal effects on referrals. Interpersonal trust has positive effects on investment decisions in Russia.Transitivity, triads, referral, venture capital, China, Russi

Family Social Capital, Venture Preparedness, and Start-Up Decisions: A Study of Hispanic Entrepreneurs in New England.

Using insights from the resource-based view, social capital, and network theories, the authors develop a model of how family social capital, as well as an entrepreneur’s knowledge capital and external social capital, influences the venture creation process. The model is tested on a sample of 85 nascent Hispanic entrepreneurs. Results indicate that family social capital, measured as family support, contributes to venture preparedness and the start-up decision, suggesting that it has both a direct and an indirect influence on venture creation