References of "Vismara, Silvio"
     in
Bookmark and Share    
Full Text
Peer Reviewed
See detailMonetary policy and venture capital markets
Bellavitis, Cristiano; Fisch, Christian UL; Vismara, Silvio

in Review of Corporate Finance (in press)

We assess the impact of monetary policy (i.e., central bank interest rates) on the activity of venture capitalists (VC). Using data from 31 countries from 2004 to 2019, we find that VC firms’ fundraising ... [more ▼]

We assess the impact of monetary policy (i.e., central bank interest rates) on the activity of venture capitalists (VC). Using data from 31 countries from 2004 to 2019, we find that VC firms’ fundraising activity increases when interest rates become negative. We explain this finding by referring to the principal-agent relationship between general and limited partners of VC firms in combination with behavioral finance arguments. Specifically, we identify three channels pertaining to a legal motivation (i.e., legislative hurdles and litigation risks), a liquidity motivation (i.e., substitution effect relative to other asset classes), and behavioral biases (i.e., mental accounting, conservatism, disposition effect, or prospect theory). [less ▲]

Detailed reference viewed: 106 (2 UL)
Full Text
Peer Reviewed
See detailDoes blockchain technology democratize entrepreneurial finance? An empirical comparison of ICOs, venture capital, and REITs
Fisch, Christian UL; Meoli, Michele; Vismara, Silvio

in Economics of Innovation and New Technology (2022), 31(1–2), 7089

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are one of the major innovations that characterize the digital revolution of financial markets. Among the expectations created by the digital revolution is the ... [more ▼]

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are one of the major innovations that characterize the digital revolution of financial markets. Among the expectations created by the digital revolution is the democratization of entrepreneurial finance, defined in terms of the creation of more equality regarding the access to financial resources by categories known to be underrepresented among potential entrepreneurs. Following this line of research, we investigate, through two complementary empirical studies, whether gender, ethnicity, and geography affect the choice of ICOs vs. traditional financing alternatives. Additionally, we assess whether these characteristics increase the amount of money an entrepreneur can raise. In Study I, we compare 390 ICO ventures to a sample of 1,078 VC-backed blockchain ventures, identifying a negative correlation between the choice of an ICO (vs. VC-backing) and a location in an urban area. In Study II, we compare 160 ICO ventures to 163 real estate investment trusts (REITs), reaffirming the results of Study I. The findings show significant participation and likelihood of successful campaigns for ethnical minorities in ICOs, with the latter also being able to collect, ceteris paribus, larger amounts of funding. In contrast, female entrepreneurs do not have higher chances to participate nor raise funds in ICOs. [less ▲]

Detailed reference viewed: 49 (9 UL)
Full Text
Peer Reviewed
See detailThe effect of trademark breadth on IPO valuation and post-IPO performance: an empirical investigation of 1,510 European IPOs
Fisch, Christian UL; Meoli, Michele; Vismara, Silvio et al

in Journal of Business Venturing (2022), 37(5), 106237

Trademarks differ in breadth and can cover a wide range of categories of goods and services. We draw on real options theory and argue that greater trademark breadth constitutes a valuable real option that ... [more ▼]

Trademarks differ in breadth and can cover a wide range of categories of goods and services. We draw on real options theory and argue that greater trademark breadth constitutes a valuable real option that is associated with higher firm valuation and performance. We analyze a sample of 1510 firms that went public in Europe between 2002 and 2015 and find a positive effect of trademark breadth on initial public offering (IPO) valuation and post-IPO performance. We implement a contingency analysis to contrast real options and signaling theory and find stronger support for the real options perspective. [less ▲]

Detailed reference viewed: 58 (1 UL)
Full Text
Peer Reviewed
See detailThe CEO beauty premium: Founder CEO attractiveness and firm valuation in initial coin offerings
Colombo, Massimo; Fisch, Christian UL; Momtaz, Paul et al

in Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (2022), 16(3), 491-521

We apply insights from research in social psychology and labor economics to the domain of entrepreneurial finance and investigate how founder chief executive officers' (founder CEOs') facial ... [more ▼]

We apply insights from research in social psychology and labor economics to the domain of entrepreneurial finance and investigate how founder chief executive officers' (founder CEOs') facial attractiveness influences firm valuation. Leveraging the novel context of initial coin offerings (ICOs), we document a pronounced founder CEO beauty premium, with a positive relationship between founder CEO attractiveness and firm valuation. We find only very limited evidence of stereotype-based evaluations, through the association of founder CEO attractiveness with latent traits such as competence, intelligence, likeability, or trustworthiness. Rather, attractiveness seems to bear economic value per se, especially in a context in which investors base their decisions on a limited information set. Indeed, attractiveness has a sustainable effect on post-ICO performance. [less ▲]

Detailed reference viewed: 37 (4 UL)
Full Text
Peer Reviewed
See detailMotives and profiles of ICO investors
Fisch, Christian UL; Masiak, Christian; Vismara, Silvio et al

in Journal of Business Research (2021), 125(3), 564-576

Research on initial coin offerings (ICOs) is nascent and assesses ICOs from the perspectives of ventures and regulators. Little is known about the equally important group of investors who provide their ... [more ▼]

Research on initial coin offerings (ICOs) is nascent and assesses ICOs from the perspectives of ventures and regulators. Little is known about the equally important group of investors who provide their capital to ventures in ICOs. Using a primary dataset of 517 ICO investors, we identify and categorize the motivations to invest in ICOs using factor analysis. We find that investors are driven by ideological, technological, and financial motives. Regarding the relative importance of the motives, we find that technological motives are the most important motives to ICO investors, followed by financial and ideological motives. To further profile investors, we conduct a regression analysis to distinguish investors across different motives. For example, we show significant differences across motives with regard to investors' risk perception, sources of information, and demand for strict regulation. The implications of this study for both theory and practice are considerable. [less ▲]

Detailed reference viewed: 26 (1 UL)
Full Text
Peer Reviewed
See detailPrivate equity investment criteria: An experimental conjoint analysis of venture capital, business angels, and family offices
Block, Jörn; Fisch, Christian UL; Vismara, Silvio et al

in Journal of Corporate Finance (2019), 58

We use an experimental conjoint analysis to investigate the investment criteria of 749 private equity investors, distinguishing between family offices, business angels, venture capital funds, growth ... [more ▼]

We use an experimental conjoint analysis to investigate the investment criteria of 749 private equity investors, distinguishing between family offices, business angels, venture capital funds, growth equity funds, and leveraged buyout funds. Our results indicate that revenue growth is the most important investment criterion, followed by the value-added of product/service, the management team's track record, and profitability. Regarding differences across investor types, we find that family offices, growth equity funds, and leveraged buyout funds place a higher value on profitability as compared to business angels and venture capital funds. Venture capital funds, in turn, pay more attention to companies' revenue growth, business models, and current investors. With these results, our study contributes to the corporate finance literature by deepening our understanding of how different types of private equity investors make investment decisions. [less ▲]

Detailed reference viewed: 56 (3 UL)