Business Commons^™

Venture Capitalists And Closely Held Ipos: Lessons For Family-Controlled Firms, Joseph H. Astrachan, Daniel L. Mcconaughy

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examines how the presence of venture capitalists (VCs) in closely held IPOs relates to their performance. It also identifies other factors that are related to the performance of closely held IPOs. Closely held firms in this study had an average of 88% insider ownership before the IPO. In general, we find that closely held IPOs benefit from associations with VCs. This finding suggests that VCs' outside expertise and connections are valuable assets. Because it takes time for VCs to effect changes and because beneficial changes generally occur gradually, firms contemplating IPOs must plan well in advance to maximize …