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Are family and friends the wrong investors? Evidence from U.S. start-ups

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  • Zaccaria, Luana

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of funding from family and friends (i.e., informal funding) on subsequent access to venture capital for start-up firms. We retrieve information on financing activity of young U.S. firms from a novel dataset based on private placements filings (Form Ds). To address potential endogeneity issues, we use an instrument that hinges on the family size of founders as an exogenous constraint on the supply of informal funds. Our results show that informal finance significantly reduces the probability of future financing events. We provide suggestive evidence that this is due to conflicts of interests between informal stakeholders and professional investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Zaccaria, Luana, 2023. "Are family and friends the wrong investors? Evidence from U.S. start-ups," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:79:y:2023:i:c:s0929119923000172
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2023.102368
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family and friends funding; Entrepreneurial finance; Form D;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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