scholarly journals Does Information Asymmetry Influence Hi-tech Entrepreneurial Financing?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. p9
Author(s):  
Anthony LIU

Exploring the effective ways of start-up financing is an important and practical issue to technological innovation and economic development. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of information asymmetry on the high-tech start-up financing preference, and whether an entrepreneur’s internationality features moderate the main effects. A sample of 500 high-tech start-ups and new ventures was collected at Shenzhen, China. Regression models are designated for testing both the main effects predicted in research hypotheses and the predicted moderating role of an entrepreneur’s internationality features. Our test results lead to 3 findings: firstly, in the high-tech industries, the information asymmetry mitigated by disclosing intellectual properties can significantly increase the start-up preference for external financing. This finding can be explained by the reduction of agency costs of debts. Secondly, the lessened information asymmetry can shorten the life cycle of start-up financing under the pecking order hypothesis. Lastly, the liability of foreignness is observed to have a significant positive moderating role on the main effects under the investigation. It can be concluded that the information asymmetry and the liability of foreignness are crucial factors influencing start-up financing decisions.This conclusion implies that reducing the information asymmetry by adequately disclosing technological strength and tacit knowledge can benefit the entrepreneurial financing for the high-tech start-ups and new ventures at the early stages, as well as provide an effective shortcut to the start-up financing cycle. Furthermore, the introduction of overseas technologies, funds, knowledge, experiences, and entrepreneurship into the high-tech start-ups does not create the liability of foreignness, and on the contrary, it is an “asset” that can help improve entrepreneurial financing decisions.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annamaria Conti ◽  
Maria P. Roche

We assess the heterogeneous impact of economic downturns on individuals’ decisions to bring high-technology ideas to the market in the form of new ventures. We thereby examine how worsening labor market conditions influence individuals’ opportunity costs of starting new ventures, the resulting composition of the entrepreneurial pool, and start-up performance outcomes. Using a rich data set of start-up founders in the biotechnology and medical device sectors, we find that an increase in the unemployment rate is associated with a substantial rise in the share of entrepreneurs who are most sensitive to worsening labor market conditions. Additionally, we find that start-ups founded by these entrepreneurs display lower financial and innovative performance than start-ups founded by entrepreneurs who are relatively insensitive to business cycles. Finally, we provide suggestive evidence that individuals’ heterogeneous response to worsening labor market conditions is a relevant factor in explaining the negative relationship between unemployment and start-up performance outcomes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Rehme ◽  
Peter Svensson

This article investigates how external stakeholders influence the first sale of technology-based business-to-business start-up companies. The authors combine entrepreneurship theory with marketing theory to describe the marketing and selling activities of start-ups and how new ventures reach key milestones. The study shows how two start-ups, an e-business firm and a new product development firm, acquired their first customers. The analysis provides a picture of how a network of the firms' founders, board members and owners contributed to their first sales. It also highlights the importance of sales activities, relationships and industrial knowledge. The paper examines the importance of external stakeholders' relative positions in the web of relationships and assesses how relevant these are in affecting outcomes and speed to market. The authors conclude that the first sale follows a time line with three important phases of activities involving credibility, closing and operations. They find that credibility is best obtained through establishing relationships.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
Bhim Jyoti

Purpose: This study examines the relationship of socio-economic characteristics of start-ups with their size in Gujarat, India. It also assesses the determinants affecting the annual sale of start-ups. Methods: It includes primary information based on a survey of 120 founders of start-ups. Linear and semi-log linear regression models have been applied to assess the determinants of start-ups. Probit regression models have been considered to assess the factors affecting the annual sale of the start-ups. Results: Stage of start-up, the participation of founders in conferences, educational qualification, and new products launched by start-ups, professional connections of founders, source of funding, and support from incubator/accelerator/supporting organizations are found crucial determinants of start-up size in Gujarat. The annual sales of the start-ups are positively associated with stage of start-up, support from a mentor, team members, founder's academic qualification, and collaboration with national or international organizations, unskilled workers. Implications: Technology transfer and commercialization, development of new products, government regulations, the requirement of costumers, free rights for entrepreneurs, appropriate financial support for new entrepreneurs, transparency and clarity in government policies, the establishment of high-tech start-ups, and development of digital infrastructure, increase in R&D spending in research academia, and association of research institutions with entrepreneurs would be conducive to create an appropriate start-ups ecosystem and to reduce regional development disparities across Indian states. Subsequently, it would be helpful to increase sustainable development in India.  Originality: This study has used primary information of 120 founders of start-ups to assess the determinants, and the factors affecting annual sales of start-ups using the regression model in, Gujrat, India. Thus, it has an empirical contribution to the body of knowledge. Limitations: This study could not provide rational justifications on most factors that show an insignificant impact on start-ups due to the small sample size. Further research, therefore, may be considered to identify the association of start-up size with the variables using a large sample size in India.  


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Fiorentino ◽  
Sergio Longobardi ◽  
Alessandro Scaletti

PurposeDespite the relevance of innovation in entrepreneurship literature, empirical research on the innovation-performance relationship in start-ups is underdeveloped and shows controversial results. To bridge this gap, the aim of this paper is to investigate the role of innovativeness on new venture performance in the early stage of the life cycle.Design/methodology/approachRegression modelling and propensity score matching are used to reveal systematic differences in growth between innovative start-ups (ISUPs) and non-innovative start-ups. We use an ad hoc dataset obtained through merging the financial database AIDA with data from administrative sources (Italian Chambers of Commerce and the Italian Ministry for Economic Development).FindingsThe results show that differences in growth can be explained by the different levels of innovativeness in new ventures. Moreover, unlike in prior studies, the innovation inputs matter more than innovation outputs. Indeed, the results support the idea that innovation policies can contribute to maximising the potential of start-ups.Practical implicationsThe findings provide suggestions for policy makers and entrepreneurs to help firms configure ex ante appropriate actions to support the growth of new ventures in the start-up stage.Originality/valueThis study is the first to use the new objective measure of start-up innovation, available from the Italian LD 221 register. Second, different types of innovation are investigated as antecedents of firm growth. Third, we employ propensity score matching, which favours revealing systematic differences in growth between ISUPs and non-innovative start-ups. Fourth, the results of our study are the first to offer evidence on the effectiveness of the new Italian sustaining ISUPs policy.


2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-121
Author(s):  
Mary A. Keating ◽  
Mariabrisa Olivares

Focusing on Irish high-tech start-ups, this paper reports on the results of an empirical study of organization building by entrepreneurial firms, specifically in relation to human resource practices. The research findings are benchmarked with findings from SPEC, the Stanford Project of Emerging Companies (Baron and Hannan, 2002). Human resources management and entrepreneurial research have rarely been combined in the literature and there is no distinct body of work in the area of human resource management in entrepreneurial firms.


2009 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Cassar

ABSTRACT: Using a representative sample of entrepreneurs who are in the process of starting a business, this study investigates the determinants of the preparation of financial statements and projections in start-up ventures. Consistent with predictions from information economics and contracting, I find that the use of outside funding, level of competition, and venture scale are positively associated with the intended frequency of financial statement preparation. However, comparing the economic significance of alternative influences suggests that the benefit of reducing competitive and fundamental uncertainty is more influential in explaining variations in intentions to prepare financial statements. Further, I find the determinants of preparation frequency vary among different financial statements; for instance, cash statements are more important for start-ups with products in earlier stages of development and with greater competition. In contrast to financial statements, the preparation of projections such as formal financial projections and regular sales forecasts by start-ups is positively associated with the importance of intangible investments such as patents, research and development, and with start-ups in high-tech industries.


Author(s):  
Dragana Popovic Renella ◽  
Vojin Senk ◽  
Fuada Stankovic

This is a study of the process of the development of high-tech start-up companies through the mechanisms of bootstrapping in two extremely different environments: the one of highly industrialized countries, such as USA and Switzerland; the other of Serbia, which is a post-communist transition country with particular difficulties. The research method is the analysis of case studies. One case study of US and two of Swiss start-ups build the base for the analysis. All three cases show common patterns: from the very beginning, these companies sell R&D services in their fields of expertise; and using the cash from these early sales, and the information feedback from cooperation with the early customers, they develop their resources and, eventually, also their own high-tech products. The essential feature of this process is the selling of R&D services and the first products in the neighborhoods. Then also two cases of high-tech start-ups from Serbia are analyzed. Both Serbian start-ups are founded in partnership with small high-tech companies from highly industrialized countries (Switzerland and Germany). The Western partners use their reputations and contacts to enable the early sales of the Serbian start-ups in the industrialized countries. This is crucial for the Serbian start-ups, because they have no domestic market for R&D services. Apart of this element, all other essential patterns of the Serbian cases are very similar to those of the Western cases.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronit Yitshaki ◽  
Eli Gimmon ◽  
Susanna Khavul

Purpose This study aims to examine the extent to which board size, the use of power by venture capital investors and entrepreneurs’ interpersonal tactics such as persuasion to sway board decisions, influence the long-term survival of start-ups. Design/methodology/approach This study used a mixed-methods approach. The quantitative part is based on data collected from 179 chief executive officers (CEOs) of high-tech start-ups community financed by venture capitalists (VCs) in Israel of which 59 did not survive. To achieve a better understanding of these findings, semi-structured interviews with 12 entrepreneurs were conducted. Findings Smaller boards were positively associated with venture survival. The use of power by VC investors positively influenced start-up survival. CEO persuasion had a negative effect on venture survival; however, its interaction with board size suggests that it had a lesser effect on very small boards. Practical implications Although investors’ control over decision-making contributes to long-term survival, entrepreneurs should be aware of the possible detrimental effects of exercising a high level of persuasion in board processes. The findings also suggest that a small board size is preferable for start-up survival. Originality/value Exploring the effect of board processes on venture survival is considered complex. A unique sample of high-technology start-ups consisting of both surviving and failed start-ups was analyzed to explore the effects of persuasion and power in board processes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Fraiberg

This study focuses on start-up entrepreneurs on the move—in coordination with an array of other actors—as they weave and are woven into transnational networks. Central to this study is a shift from activity to mobility systems. Building on technical communication scholarship, the frame integrates actor networks and activity theory knotworks. Disrupting workplace and national container models (methodological nationalism), the analysis is grounded in a study of Israeli start-up entrepreneurs. Dubbed the Start-Up Nation, Israel contains more start-ups per capita than any other country in the world, with its high-tech industry made up of a dense ecosystem of conferences, accelerators, meetups, social media, and coworking spaces. Tracing actants’ trajectories across this social field, the author argues for a conceptualization of entrepreneurs as knotworkers who mobilize genres, modes, languages, and spaces.


Author(s):  
Luca Grilli

This article explores the possibility that under an intensely negative industry-specific shock, the positive relationship between the human capital of founders and the survival prospects of start-up businesses may actually be negative. Starting from a theoretical perspective to derive testable hypotheses, the study examines a sample of 179 Italian start-ups operating in the information and communication technology services market created during the boom period from 1995 to early 2000. Econometric analyses provide evidence that, during an intense industry crisis (that is, early 2000 to 2003) entrepreneurs with a substantial amount of prior work experience may pursue an exit strategy. This also highlights the importance of distinguishing between different types of work experience and different exit routes: founding teams with highly specific work experience show a higher probability of pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A), while a higher level of generic work experience is found to be more conducive to firm closure.


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