Do Venture Capitalists Behave Differently When Investing in High-Tech Ventures?

Abstract

Compared to the U.S. marketplace, high-tech investments have not been as popular among venture capital firms in the U.K. Although high-tech ventures have important economic significance, they continue to experience difficulties in securing funds for their growth. Using theoretically-based hypotheses and empirical data collected from U.K. venture capitalists (VCs) in 16 personal interviews and 111 questionnaire responses, this study sheds light on the various deterrents of technology-intensive investments in the U.K. market. Furthermore, it takes a unique look at how those VCs, who do support high-tech ventures, differ in their investment preferences and procedures from those who prefer to fund non-technology firms. Since investments in early-stage high-tech firms are especially rare, this is the special focus in this study. By illuminating the requirements for a successful high-tech VC market, this focus may also offer additional insights into the fundamentals supporting the prosperity of the high-tech VC market in the U.S.