This paper analyzes valuation dynamics of ‘Unicorn' companies, that is, privately held and venture capital-backed companies with a valuation of at least $1 billion. In recent years, Unicorns have received substantial investments from U.S. mutual funds, whose public reporting allows for rare...

This paper analyzes exit strategies of buyout funds in their portfolio companies following Initial Public Offerings. We use a data set of 222 buyout-backed IPOs in the United States between 1999 and 2008 including hand-collected data about each exit process to draw up a detailed road map of...

We analyze how private equity funds sell down their stakes in companies they take public. The average duration of post-IPO holdings is 3 years, whereas lockups expire after 6 months. PE-backed IPOs perform well during the lockup, but we find no evidence that GPs add value for investors through...

The paper explores factors that influence the design of financing contracts between venture capital investors and European venture capital funds. 122 Private Placement Memoranda and 46 Partnership Agreements are investigated in respect to the use of covenant restrictions and compensation...