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How Resilient is Venture-Backed Innovation? Evidence from Four Decades of U.S. Patenting

Author

Listed:
  • Sabrina T. Howell
  • Josh Lerner
  • Ramana Nanda
  • Richard R. Townsend

Abstract

Despite theoretical predictions to the contrary, corporate innovation is strongly pro-cyclical. In this paper, we compare innovation in the economy as a whole to that of firms backed by venture capital (VC), a source of capital associated with the most impactful young firms. We show that (1) patents filed by VC-backed firms are of significantly higher quality and economic importance than those in the broader economy, (2) venture-backed innovation is even more procyclical than innovation in general, and (3) that the deterioration of venture innovation in downturns appears driven by shifts in the types of startups that these investors finance. Our findings suggest that during recessions, venture capitalists perceive a need to conserve capital both due to demand for financing from struggling companies already in their portfolios and due to a more challenging fundraising environment. Therefore, they shift funding to less innovative firms that are closer to profitability. Rather than countering the pro-cyclicality of innovation in the broader economy, VC finance appears instead to amplify this pattern.

Suggested Citation

  • Sabrina T. Howell & Josh Lerner & Ramana Nanda & Richard R. Townsend, 2020. "How Resilient is Venture-Backed Innovation? Evidence from Four Decades of U.S. Patenting," NBER Working Papers 27150, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27150
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bellucci, Andrea & Borisov, Alexander & Gucciardi, Gianluca & Zazzaro, Alberto, 2023. "The reallocation effects of COVID-19: Evidence from venture capital investments around the world," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    2. Josh Lerner & Ramana Nanda, 2020. "Venture Capital's Role in Financing Innovation: What We Know and How Much We Still Need to Learn," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 237-261, Summer.
    3. Silvia Dalla Fontana & Ramana Nanda, 2023. "Innovating to Net Zero: Can Venture Capital and Start-Ups Play a Meaningful Role?," Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(1), pages 79-105.
    4. Jagriti Srivastava & Balagopal Gopalakrishnan, 2021. "Work from home amenability and venture capital financing during COVID-19," Working papers 458, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode.
    5. Gompers, Paul & Gornall, Will & Kaplan, Steven N. & Strebulaev, Ilya A., 2021. "Venture Capitalists and COVID-19," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(7), pages 2474-2499, November.
    6. Amoroso, Sara & Martino, Roberto, 2020. "Regulations and technology gap in Europe: The role of firm dynamics," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    7. Alekseeva, Liudmila & Fontana, Silvia Dalla & Genc, Caroline & Ranjbar, Hedieh Rashidi, 2022. "From in-person to online: the new shape of the VC industry," SocArXiv 3pc4z, Center for Open Science.
    8. Michal Hrivnák & Peter Moritz & Marcela Chreneková, 2021. "What Kept the Boat Afloat? Sustainability of Employment in Knowledge-Intensive Sectors Due to Government Measures during COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-21, July.
    9. Hoang, Huy Viet & Nguyen, Cuong & Nguyen, Duc Khuong, 2022. "Corporate immunity, national culture and stock returns: Startups amid the COVID-19 pandemic," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    10. Shai Bernstein & Richard R. Townsend & Ting Xu, 2020. "Flight to Safety: How Economic Downturns Affect Talent Flows to Startups," NBER Working Papers 27907, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Brown, Ross & Rocha, Augusto, 2020. "Entrepreneurial uncertainty during the Covid-19 crisis: Mapping the temporal dynamics of entrepreneurial finance," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 14(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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