The Role of Venture Capital Syndication in Value Creation for Entrepreneurial Firms*

This paper provides evidence that venture capital (VC) syndication creates value for entrepreneurial firms in two dimensions. First, VC syndication creates product market value for their portfolio firms. Specifically, VC syndicates invest significant amounts in younger firms, in earlier financing rounds, and in early stage firms. Further, VC syndicates nurture innovation of their portfolio firms and help them achieve better post-initial public offering operating performance. Second, VC syndication creates financial market value for their portfolio firms. Specifically, VC syndicate-backed firms are more likely to have a successful exit, enjoy a lower initial public offering (IPO) underpricing, and receive a higher IPO market valuation. The findings are robust to a variety of alternative syndication measures, subsamples, econometric models, and controlling for endogeneity in VC syndication. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.