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  • 2019
  • Chapter
  • The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurship and Collaboration

Coordination Frictions in Venture Capital Syndicates

By: Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

An extensive literature on venture capital has studied asymmetric information and agency problems between investors and entrepreneurs, examining how separating entrepreneurs from the investor can create frictions that might inhibit the funding of good projects. It has largely abstracted away from the fact that a startup typically does not have just one investor but rather several VCs that come together in a syndicate to finance a venture. In this chapter, we therefore argue for an expansion of the standard perspective to also include frictions within VC syndicates. Put differently, what are the frictions that arise from the fact that there is not just one investor for each venture but several investors with different incentives, objectives, and cash flow rights who nevertheless need to collaborate to help make the venture a success? We outline the ways in which these coordination frictions manifest themselves, describe the underlying drivers, and document several contractual solutions used by VCs to mitigate their effects. We believe that this broader perspective provides several promising avenues for future research.

Keywords

Syndication; Frictions; Venture Capital; Networks; Entrepreneurship

Citation

Nanda, Ramana, and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf. "Coordination Frictions in Venture Capital Syndicates." In The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurship and Collaboration, edited by Jeffrey J. Reuer, Sharon Matusik, and Jessica F. Jones. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
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About The Author

Ramana Nanda

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

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  • SafeGraph: Selling Data as a Service By: Ramana Nanda, Abhishek Nagaraj and Allison Ciechanover
  • Biased Sampling of Early Users and the Direction of Startup Innovation By: Ruiqing Cao, Rembrand Koning and Ramana Nanda
  • Impact Investment, Catalytic Capital and Blended Finance By: Tarun Khanna, Ramana Nanda, Benjamin N. Roth and Brian Trelstad
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