›› 2018, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (10): 58-72,118.

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Venture Capital and Corporate Innovation: From the Perspective of VCs' Patent Sensitivity

Xu Xiangyang1, Lu Haitian2, Meng Wei3   

  1. 1. School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100190;
    2. School of Accounting and Finance, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077;
    3. School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044
  • Received:2017-03-27 Online:2018-10-28 Published:2018-10-23

Abstract:

This paper studies how venture capitalists' investment decision is affected by firms' ex ante patenting activity. Drawing on the signaling theory and using patent data and venture capital investments of Chinese listed firms from 1999 to 2016, we find prior patenting activity strongly predicts VC investment propensity, amount and valuation, and our result is driven by first round VC investment. The patent sensitivity is more pronounced for private domestic VCs, for corporate venture capital (CVCs), and when the investee is located in high IP protection environments. Finally, we find positive association between VCs' patent sensitivity and internal rate of return (IRR) upon exits. Our evidence sheds light on how VCs interpret firms' patent signals in China, and how policy makers can direct VC industry to facilitate technological innovation.

Key words: venture capital, patent application, patent grant, corporate innovation, patent sensitivity