Background: Growth oriented entrepreneurial businesses need funding for the development of their idea, technology, product etc. However, for the businesses in the very earliest stages of development, access to funding is very limited. Growing young ventures are important job creators and positively affect growth in an economy. Bridging the gap of funding to these companies is therefore on the agenda of governments around the world. Purpose: To describe the situation facing seed stage investing venture capitalists. I will emphasize difficulties and evaluate venture capitalists ability in addressing them. Effects of the difficulties in form of access to financing for entrepreneurs and a possible need for government intervention will be examined. Method: Empirical information from seed stage investing venture capital organizations have been collected in the form of face-to-face interviews, email- questionnaires and a telephone interview. Organizations from Sweden, Denmark and Germany are included in the study. Result: Several factors make seed stage investing unattractive compared to later stages. Important difficulties are higher risks, high costs for fund management, goal incongruence in the investor – venture capitalist relation and lack of bargaining power for seed venture capitalists. Environmental factorsthat have an impact on seed investing are the deal flow, the investment climate and access to soft funding. Seed stage investing is a very challenging business and the difficulties are to a large extent hard to overcome. The investors more likely have to accept them and I conclude that long term profitability of seed funds is unlikely, at least in absence of government support in form of soft funding towards the entrepreneurial businesses.

Bakgrund: De svenska börsbolagen gör större vinster än någonsin tidigare, men har fått stor kritik för att vara för långsamma i sin vinstallokering. Företag med överkapitaliserade balansräkningar utan investeringsbehov är potentiella måltavlor för riskkapitalisternas affärsidé om finansiell effektivisering och en aggressivare kapitalstruktur. Debatten i media har skapat kritik kring dessa så kallade kortsiktiga och giriga bolagsplundrare som påstås förstöra finansiella värden och kreditvärdigheten i företagen. I tidigare fall har marknaden svarat positivt på riskkapitalisternas investeringar, något som har reflekterats i ett kraftigt ökande aktiepris. Skeptiker hävdar dock att spekulationer är anledningen till att marknadsvärdet drivs upp, inte fundamentala aspekter. Syfte: Syftet med denna magisteruppsats är att fastställa en bild av fenomenet riskkapital och hur dess aktiva ägande inverkar på svenska börsbolags kreditbetyg, kapitalstruktur och värdering. Metod: För att uppnå syftet med vår magisteruppsats har en kvalitativ ansats till-lämpats baserad på tre börsbolag där riskkapitalisters aktiva ägande spelat en betydande roll. Det empiriska materialet har insamlats genom personliga intervjuer med aktie- och kreditanalytiker, och studien förlitar sig även på markandsdata, artiklar och nyhetssändningar i media, samt respektive bolags kvartals- och årsrapporter. Slutsats: Studien har gjorts over den tidsperiod som varit riskkapitalisternas inve-steringshorisont – explicit och implicit. Genom att analysera det aktiva ägarskapet i tre svenska börsbolag kan slutsatsen dras att det inverkat positivt i form av högre prestanda och marknadsvärdering. De finansiella förändringarna har, till skillnad från kritiken, styrkt kreditbetyget i fallen Lindex och Volvo. En analys av Skandia/Old Mutual visade dock en marginellt ökad kreditrisk. Slutsatsen visar härmed att riskkapitalisternas inverkan på svenska börsbolag är värdeförädlande utan att äventyra den finansiella statusen. / Background: The Swedish blue chip companies are performing better than ever, but have been strongly criticised for being too slow in their excess fund allocation. Companies with overcapitalised balance sheets and no investment needs are potential targets for activist funds’ business idea of more aggressive capital structures and financial restructuring. In media, this debate has raised criticism against these so called short-sighted, greedy asset-strippers that destroy company values and increase the companies’ risk of default. In prior cases where activist funds have taken actions, the market has responded positively through increasing the share price. However, sceptics argue that the higher share price is merely a response to a speculative reaction with no fundamental argument supporting the upgrade in market capitalisation. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to establish a view of the phenomenon of activist funds and their impact on blue chip companies’, listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, credit rating, capital structure and valuation. Method: To fulfil the purpose of our master thesis, a qualitative approach has been applied based on three cases involving the activities of activist funds. The empirical findings have been retrieved via personal communications with stock- and credit analysts, and the study also relies on articles and news coverage from media, stock market data and annual reports from each of the chosen companies respectively. Conclusion: The study has regarded the period of time which has been the investment horizon of the activist funds – explicitly and implicitly. Analysing their active ownership, the conclusion can be drawn that these activist funds have clearly had a positive impact on each of the blue chip companies’ performance and intrinsic value respectively. The financial restructuring has - contrarily to the criticism – strengthened the credit ratings in the cases of Lindex and Volvo. In the Skandia/Old Mutual-case, a marginally higher default risk was detected. Thus, the study has concluded that activist funds indeed add significant shareholder value without jeopardising the companies’ financial statuses.

Empirical and theoretical topics in applied microeconomics are discussed in this dissertation. The first essay identifies and measures managerial advantages from access to high-quality deals in venture capital investments. The underlying social network of Harvard Business School MBA venture capitalists and entrepreneurs is used to proxy availability of deal access. Random section assignment of HBS MBA graduates provides a key exogenous variation for identification. Being socially connected to peer venture capital firms and private equity seeking startups leads to more deal flow, larger asset under management and better performance in the inaugural funds of HBS-executive run venture capital firms. The second essay presents a two-stage model of competing ad auctions. Search engines attract users via Cournot-style competition. Meanwhile, each advertiser must pay a participation cost to use each ad platform. Advertiser entry strategies using symmetric Bayes-Nash equilibrium that lead to the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves outcome of the ad auctions are derived. Consistent with the model predictions, empirical evidence shows that multi-homing advertisers are larger than single-homing advertisers. Comparative statics on consumer choice parameters, quality, and user welfare are used to analyze the prospect of joining auctions to mitigate participation costs. The analysis provides conditions when such joins do and do not increase welfare. The third essay develops and computes a dynamic model of search in internet advertising. Micro-level browsing data from Microsoft's Bing.com (formerly known as Live.com) is used for structural estimations. The model predicts that users do not click on any ad with weak signals due to accumulating search cost and monotonicity of the value function. Rational search reveals a cascading pattern: the user clicks on a sufficiently high, highest-signal ad first, then moves on to the ad with the next highest conditionally expected probability of match once his assessment on the current ad degrades over time. The user exits when maximum assessment of likelihood of match over all ads is below a threshold value. The essay provides a novel approach to understanding rational herding behavior when product quality is only partially unraveled.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjamas investicinių fondų valdymo vaidmuo plėtojant šalies ekonomiką augančios globalizacijos kontekste ir ekonominio klestėjimo sferoje. Akcentuojama rizikos kapitalo fondų reikšmė didinant šalies konkurencingumą kitų šalių atžvilgiu, pritraukiant tiesiogines užsienio investicijas bei skatinant inovacijas. Išnagrinėti pagrindiniai teoriniai principai, kuriais remiantis nustatoma investicijų, investicinių fondų bei investicinių bendrovių samprata šiuolaikinėje literatūroje bei jų pokyčių tendencijos, analizuojamos įvairios investicijų formos, nustatomi tokio kapitalo panaudojimo tikslai bei lūkesčiai. Nagrinėjama investicijų skatinimo, būtent rizikos kapitalo pritraukimo į šalį būtinumas, rezultatyviai sekančios pasekmės. Atlikto tyrimo metodika susideda iš Lietuvos bei Europos sąjungos makroekonominių rodiklių analizės, koreliacinės regresinės analizės. Analizuojama Lietuvos investicinė situacija tarptautinėje rinkoje, jos investicinio klimato patrauklumas, stiprybės ir silpnybės. Iškeliama hipotezė, ar šalies investicijos į mokslinius tyrimus ir eksperimentinę plėtrą įtakoja užsienio investuotojų susidomėjimą. Ši analizė yra svarbi vertinant perspektyvias rizikos kapitalo potencialo kryptis ir galimybes, atsižvelgiant į globalizacijos ir inovacinės plėtros didėjančią svarbą, naujų ekonominių pranašumų bei konkurencingumo būtinybę žinių visuomenėje. Darbe pateikiami veiksniai, nulemiantys sėkmingą investicijų skatinimą šalyje, siūlomi... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The thesis examines the notion and functions of management of investment funds in growing globalization and prosperous country’s environment. Emphasizing the impact of venture capital, it develops their value in increasing the competitiveness in international market, attracting direct foreign investments, stimulating innovations. It analyses main theoretical aspects of investments, investment funds, investment company’s concept in contemporary literature as also gives the exact details about its fluctuation prospects, various forms of investing, their main intentions and expectations. The thesis also explains the reasons of resulting effects for attracting investments in venture capital funds. The methodology of investigation consists of macroeconomic research on Lithuanian and European Union situation, analysis of correlation and regression. It also points out our country’s situation in the international market of investing, its investment climate attraction, as well as strengths and weaknesses. This work raise a hypothesis that country is more attractive for investments if it budgets more into domestic research and development. The above mentioned analysis is rather important for evaluating perspective venture capital trends and possibilities of the globalization as well as with account of growing significance of the innovation within the knowledge society. Analytically developed results provides with factors of prosperous influence which guarantees big foreign investment... [to full text]

Equity crowdfunding (ECF) is the smallest of four main types of crowdfunding (CF) and has emerged as a new form of investment, where investors receive equity of a company in return for capital. Over the past years, the development of CF has given entrepreneurs the option to seek funding from a new source, instead of relying solely on venture capital (VC) and other sources of funding (Mollick, 2013). However, the implementation of regulations for ECF has not yet developed enough to make such investing equally consistent for everyone.   Equity crowdfunded ventures can potentially attract a large number of investors that can possibly create corporate governance issues between the entrepreneur and investors. Additionally, individual investors might both lack the competence or incentive to extensively research and assess a venture and make an investment. Due to the growth in ECF and the lack of knowledge of it, the purpose of this thesis was to discover the perceptions of Swedish fund managers (FMs) regarding the nature of ECF and their interest in it.   In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, previous studies were carefully examined to gain a thorough understanding of the area of study. Furthermore, the empirical findings were gathered through a course of seven semi-structured interviews of Swedish FMs.   Empirical findings suggested that ECF has remained as a means of providing only seed-stage funding for ventures and that it is a marginal phenomenon in Sweden. ECF was believed to potentially disturb the VC industry if it grew and moved to a later stage. Additionally, ECF was found to be a good option for companies that were unable to receive funding from traditional funding methods. Risks of fraud and other scandals should be prevented for ECF to maintain its popularity. The findings implied that the future of ECF remains uncertain. Based on the perceptions of Swedish FMs, ECF neither would replace nor be a threat to traditional methods.

Bakgrund: Under 2000-talet har många av klubbarna i både Svenska Hockeyligan och Allsvenskan i fotboll haft ekonomiska problem. Flertalet elitidrottsklubbar har gått från att tidigare vara ideella föreningar till att idag, genom bolagiseringar, drivas som elitidrottsföretag. Ett verktyg som idag används för att utveckla företags verksamheter i flera vitt skilda branscher är riskkapital där riskkapitalister eller riskkapitalbolag köper in sig i företaget. Elitidrottsföretagen påverkas dock av regelverk som potentiellt sett begränsar elitidrottsföretagens möjligheter att använda riskkapital. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera om elitidrottsklubbar inom svensk fotboll och ishockey kan utveckla sin verksamhet med riskkapital. Metod: Studien har en kvalitativ ansats där intervjuer har genomförts med representanter från tio elitidrottsklubbar inom svensk fotboll och ishockey. Resultat: Studien visar att elitidrottsklubbar inom svensk fotboll och ishockey bör kunna använda sig av riskkapital för att utveckla sin verksamhet. Gällande regelverk, 51-procentsregeln, hämmar dock klubbarna i användningen av riskkapital, då riskkapitalistens möjlighet till kontroll över sin investering begränsas. Om riskkapitalisten tillåts inta en aktiv ägarroll, ser vi användningen av riskkapital som en möjlig framtida väg för att utveckla verksamheten i dagens elitidrottsföretag. / Background: During the 2000s, many clubs in the Swedish Hockey League and the Swedish premier football division Allsvenskan have suffered from financial problems. Many elite sports clubs have changed from previously beeing non-profit organizations to, through corporatisation, operate as elite sports businesses. Private equity is a tool that is used to develop business operations in various industries, where venture capitalists or private equity firms buys into a company. Elite sports businesses, however, are affected by regulations that potentially limit the elite sports businesses possibilities to use private equity. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze if elite sports clubs in Swedish football and ice hockey can develop their business with private equity. Research method: The study has a qualitative approach in which interviews were conducted with representatives from ten elite sports clubs in Swedish football and ice hockey. Results: The study shows that elite sports clubs in Swedish football and ice hockey should be able to use venture capital to develop their business. Current regulations, the 51-percent rule, inhibits the clubs in their use of private equity, since venture capitalists are limited in their possibility to control their investment. If the venture capitalist is allowed to take on an active ownership role, we see the use of private equity as a opportunity to develop the business in today's elite sports businesses.

To draw up an intellectual property management strategy is one of the most important tasks to do when starting up technology-based companies, which play a very important role in the knowledge-based economies. IP management due to protection must be regarded as a strategic asset aimed at improving the competitive advantages, increasing the revenue of a technology-based start up company and encouraging to continue to develop new technologies, by securing a technological platform for a future development, preventing competitors from gaining access to emerging markets, creating retaliatory power against competitors and preventing innovative products from being plagiarized. Through this study the aim is forming a guide including why and how an IP management strategy develop and implement to a new technology-based start up company. Beside these it is proved that from the properties that characterize the start-up configuration of a high-tech firm there can be derived three organizational archetypes of firms each of which requires different IP management strategies.

創業天使(business angel)是一種新興的融資管道。以往創新產業利用創投事業募集創業基金，進行投資的工作。近年來創投的生態漸漸改變，除了資金挹注集中在營運中後期，創投事業也不再扮演提供管理諮詢的關鍵者角色。這時，創業天使的出現，不僅解決創業公司種子期資金不足的窘境，且積極涉入公司經營、提供產業諮詢，以增加企業的附加價值。 以往創投事業及創業公司的文獻中，僅就資本利得稅對雙方的投入影響作討論。而Elitzur and Gavious(2003)則試著加入創業天使的角色，利用三方模型衡量創業天使的加入能否對創投與創業公司間因道德危機問題產生的無效率有所改善。 本文以Elitzur and Gavious(2003)文章為基礎，加入政府的租稅政策，藉以衡量政府的介入是否對三方的投入有所助益。本文研究結果發現，只要政府課徵資本利得稅，將會使三方的投入水準減低；即使採取預算平衡的租稅政策，仍無法改變投入無效率以及創新產業收入過低的情況。因此，在現實社會中，政府不應課過重的資本利得稅，以期能使整個產業營收增加。如果採取對創投事業及創業天使資本利得補貼並搭配對投資之課稅，政府的原意乃是提高各行為參與者之資本利得，以增進效率水準；然而因課稅的過程中產生誘因降低的情況，最終反而會使三方的資本利得減少。唯有對單一參與者個別給予資本利得補貼並搭配課徵對誘因沒有影響的總額進入稅，才會使整個計畫的利得增加，達到有效率的投資水準。是故，政府的租稅政策對創業天使、創投事業及創業公司三者並不一定會達到較有效率的結果。

LAMACZ, L. Private equity funds. Brno: Mendel University in Brno. 2014 The subject of this diploma thesis is investing through Private equity funds. Based on the research of factors that affect the profitability of private equity funds, the author has drawn up an investment recommendation. The research subject is relation between profitability and the denominated currency of the fund, Morningstar rating, the level of market capitalization, dividend yield and domicile of the fund. In diploma thesis, the author also compares the profitability of investments in the sector and regionally focused private equity funds with profitability of investments in stock indexes focused on the same sectors and regions. The thesis also offers an analysis of supply of private equity funds in the US market and analysis of the impact of financial crises that began in the fall of 2007 on the profitability of private equity funds. The final part is devoted to the presentation of the results attained and their discussion with other authors' similar themes.

Submitted by Mel Fernandes (melmfernandes@gmail.com) on 2015-04-07T20:15:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Mel Fernandes_Dissertaçao.pdf: 218434 bytes, checksum: 37955734df1a7b29b93a53597d9c1d64 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by GILSON ROCHA MIRANDA (gilson.miranda@fgv.br) on 2015-04-08T15:04:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Mel Fernandes_Dissertaçao.pdf: 218434 bytes, checksum: 37955734df1a7b29b93a53597d9c1d64 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2015-04-14T12:00:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Mel Fernandes_Dissertaçao.pdf: 218434 bytes, checksum: 37955734df1a7b29b93a53597d9c1d64 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T12:01:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mel Fernandes_Dissertaçao.pdf: 218434 bytes, checksum: 37955734df1a7b29b93a53597d9c1d64 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05 / A melhora na situação econômica do Brasil, observada nos últimos anos, resultou em um aumento expressivo no número de IPOs realizados no mercado brasileiro tornando o mecanismo de desinvestimento através do mercado de capitais em uma boa opção para os fundos de Private Equity/Venture Capital, fato que não era visto no período anterior a 2004. No período de janeiro de 2004 a maio de 2007 foi possível notar um fato inédito para o mercado brasileiro, dos 61 IPOs que ocorreram, 26 foram realizados por firmas que tinham um fundo de Private Equity/Venture Capital como acionista. Devido a assimetria de informação, o preço de emissão é tipicamente inferior ao preço de mercado da ação após o IPO, sendo esse 'fenômeno' conhecido na literatura como underpricing. Essa dissertação busca examinar o papel de certificação que um fundo de Private Equity/Venture Capital pode exercer nas emissões de ações no Brasil no período de 2004 a maio de 2007, reduzindo assim a assimetria de informação existente, através de uma análise do underpricing dos IPOs de empresas que tem fundos de Private Equity/Venture Capital como acionistas, e de empresas que não tem. Encontramos evidência que sugere que no mercado brasileiro apenas empresas com um bom grau de governança e transparência tem acesso ao Mercado de capitais através de IPOs, tirando, desta forma, a importância do poder de certificação exercido pelos fundos de Private Equity/Venture Capital em reduzir a assimetria de informação existente. / The improvement, observed in the last years, in the economic environment in Brazil, resulted in a massive increase in the number of IPOs that took place in Brazil. Disinvestment through capital market thus turned up to be a good option for Private Equity and Venture Capitalists. Of the 61 IPOs that occurred in the period from January/ 2004 until May/2007, 26 of them were Private Equity/Venture Capital backed IPOs, fact that was not seen before 2004. Due to information asymmetry, IPOs are on average systematically underpriced. This dissertation studies the certification role of Private Equity/Venture Capitalist in IPOs that took place in Brazil from 2004 to May/07 through an analyses of underpricing in Private Equity/Venture Capital backed IPOs and Non Private Equity/Venture Capital backed IPOs. We find evidence that suggests that only firms with a good level of corporate governance and transparency have access to performing IPOs in Brazil during the period studied thus reducing the importance of the Private Equity/Venture Capital role in certifying new issues as a mean of reducing information asymmetry.