Although an extensive literature shows that startups are financially constrained and that constraints vary by geography, the source of these constraints is still relatively unknown. We explore intermediary financing constraints, a channel studied in the banking literature, but only implicitly...

Although an extensive literature shows that startups are financially constrained and that constraints vary by geography, the source of these constraints is still relatively unknown. We explore intermediary financing constraints, a channel studied in the banking literature, but only indirectly...

We examine the role of high-skilled foreign labor in VC-backed startups through two natural experiments. First, we show that winning more H-1B visas in random lotteries enhances VC-backed startups' financial performance, likelihood of going public, and quantity and quality of innovation. Second,...

The Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) exemption allows certain entrepreneurs, their employees, and their investors to sell shares of their companies without paying any—or only greatly reduced—capital gains taxes. Using a diff-in-diff identification strategy, we show that the QSBS...

We examine whether VC-backed startups respond to R&D tax incentives by attempting to scale R&D activities through employment. We exploit a provision of the PATH Act of 2015, which allows qualified small businesses to offset payroll taxes with R&D tax credits, and show that marginally eligible...