Diverse tipologie di venture capital e relazione tra investimenti e cash flow

Abstract

- In this paper we study the effect of venture capital (VC) financing on firms' investments in a longitudinal sample of 374 Italian unlisted new-technology-based firms (NTBFs) observed over the 10-year period from 1994 to 2003. In particular, we consider the influence of VC on both firms' investment levels and the sensitivity of investments to firms' cash flows. We also distinguish the effects of VC financing according to the type of investor: financial VC (FVC) investors and corporate VC (CVC) investors. We show that the investment rate of Italian NTBFs is strongly and positively correlated with their current cash flows. We also find that after receiving VC financing, NTBFs increase their investment rate independently of the type of VC investor. Even though, on average, VC financing seems not to affect the sensitivity of investments to cash flows, we have found that there is substantial heterogeneity according to the type of VC investor. In fact, CVC-backed firms still exhibit positive investment-cash flow sensitivity. Conversely, when firms receive VC financing from an FVC investor, the sensitivity of investments to cash flows disappears. Therefore, while this study clearly indicates that VC financing is beneficial to NTBFs, it also suggests that managers of NTBFs looking for external financing should be aware that the nature of these benefits depends crucially on the type of investor. . Keywords: investment, new technology-based firm, pecking order, venture capital, corporate venture capital Parole chiave: investimenti, imprese ad alta tecnologia, pecking order, venture capital, corporate venture capital . Jel Classification: G32 - D92 - G23