Key-drivers of innovation success and financial performance in corporate venture capital

This thesis addresses unexplored issues on corporate venture capital (CVC). This research is designed on insights from resource-based view, knowledge-based view, organizational learning with a special focus on ambidexterity, real options lens, network theory. Our empirical analysis covers the period between 1998 and 2017 and is based on 4206 U.S. companies for the first essay, 1547 U.S. biotechnology companies for the second essay, and 12895 investment-deals from 274 North American corporate investors for the third one. To test all hypotheses, we employ multivariate -regression analyses (e.g., ordinary least squares, negative binomial regression, two-stage least squares). In the first essay, we find that CVC-backed companies exercise real options when exogenous uncertainty is mitigated and as a result, experience higher financial injections and prolonged duration. Two influential factors reduce uncertainty and improve the organizational learning process: tie strength and geographic proximity between the corporate investor and the entrepreneurial company.Additional investment amounts lead to a higher frequency of IPO exit for independent venture capital (IVC) backed companies while longer investment durations motivate a higher frequency of acquisition exit for CVC-backed companies for organizational learning reasons. In the second essay, CVC-backed companies display higher rates of innovation output than their IVC-backed counterparts. The performance of CVC-backed companies is responsive to their ability to leverage the complementary resources of corporate investors. We propose three mechanisms that improve the innovation output: absorptive capacity of entrepreneurial companies, tie strength, geographic proximity. In the third essay, sequential ambidexterity drives to higher corporate investors’ financial performance than balanced or simultaneous forms of ambidexterity in CVC investments. Finally, the combination of balanced and simultaneous forms of ambidexterity produces synergy and enhances the financial performance of CVC investments.